Department for Transport

Railways: Safety

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what comparative assessment he has made of the safety of railways in the UK and other European countries.

Claire Perry: The United Kingdom currently has the safest record of any major railway network in Europe. All European Union Member States collect statistics about their safety performance including, for example, accidents and consequences, accident precursors and technical information. This material is collated by the European Railway Agency in its Annual Safety Performance Reports which are published at www.era.europa.eu/Core-Activities/Safety/Safety-Performance/Pages/Safety-Performance-Report.aspx.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse per motor vehicle crossing the Severn Bridges in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: The Government has not made such an estimate, but the cost to the public purse is very small, since the large majority of the costs of the Severn Crossings, relating to building, maintenance and operations, have been borne by Severn River Crossings Plc. Over the concession period £63m of costs directly relating to the Severn Crossings have been incurred by the Government. The Government will recoup these costs through tolling after the end of the concession. With regard to the cost of tolls for the motorist crossing the Severn Bridges, which have not reduced since they started in their current form in 1992, in the March 2015 Budget the Chancellor announced that the government will, once the Severn River Crossings are in public ownership, which is expected to be 2018, abolish Category 2 (small goods vehicles and small buses) and include those vehicles in Category 1 (motor cars and motor caravans), therefore reducing the toll paid by small goods vehicles and small buses. Furthermore, the Chancellor announced in the 2016 Budget that, subject to public consultation, the government will halve tolls on the Severn River Crossings once the Crossings are in public ownership.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for how many years after the present concession period the Government plans to continue tolling on the Severn Bridges.

Andrew Jones: The Government has made it clear that it intends to continue tolling after the end of the current concession to recoup costs incurred outside of the concession, and that in the long term provision needs to be made to cover ongoing maintenance and operating costs.

Severn River Crossing

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the annual maintenance cost was of the Severn Bridges in the last year for which statistics are available; and how many vehicles crossed the Bridges in that year.

Andrew Jones: Maintenance and operation costs in 2014 were £13.16m. No separate figure for maintenance is available. In the same year, there were 13,143,901 toll paying vehicles travelling westbound over the Severn Bridges. No figure is available for vehicles travelling eastbound. It is important to note with regard to the level of tolls that they are set not just to cover maintenance and operation costs but also to repay the construction and financing costs of the Second Severn Crossing, plus the outstanding debt on the original Crossing.

M6

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the hourly cost of closure of the M6 motorway between junctions 5 and 6.

Andrew Jones: The cost impact of a full motorway closure is impossible to accurately quantify as it is dependent on a number of variables including time of day, day type and month of year and the volume and composition of traffic. Also the behaviour and decision making of the drivers would depend on the severity of the situation and their intended destination.

Railway Stations: Sanitation

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's policy is on ensuring access to toilets at railway stations.

Claire Perry: It is for Station Operators to meet the needs of their passengers and customers, which includes facilities at stations such as toilets. As part of the franchise process station users are encouraged to express their views, including on station facilities, through the public consultation. The Department, as the franchise specifying authority, can indicate that bidders should include plans that respond to the outcome of the consultation.

Railways: Sanitation

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contractual obligations there are on train operators to provide access to toilets on their trains.

Claire Perry: It is for Train Operators to define the requirements of the rail carriages they procure. The Department has set out its aspirations regarding on-board facilities in its Rolling Stock Perspective published in July 2015.

Railways: North of England

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate the Government has made of potential net economic growth in the North West resulting from the proposed HS3 rail link.

Andrew Jones: Through 2016, the government and Transport for the North are continuing to develop options for the Northern Powerhouse Rail (HS3) network, and following prioritisation will make an appraisal of the impacts of each option.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to launch the tendering process for the administration of the Severn Bridge tolls following the end of the present concession period.

Andrew Jones: The Government has not yet made decisions on operational matters generally and toll administration in particular.

Roads: Accidents

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 30069, which local authorities have a (a) fully resolved partnership agreement and (b) partnership agreement received from Highways England not yet fully resolved; and which local authorities have not yet received an agreement proposal.

Andrew Jones: Highways England is an active member of the National and Regional Traffic Manager Forums. In 2012, Highways Agency (as was), through the governance of the Forum, devised partnership agreements for cooperation and collaboration between Highways Agency and 120 local highway authorities and provide a framework to meet their statutory obligations with regard to the Traffic Management Act 2004. Highways England is now in the process of revising these agreements. So far, there are two fully revised agreements with Kent County Council and Warwickshire County Council. Highways England are liaising with another 87 local highway authorities, having adding a further 22 Local Authorities since the last Parliamentary Questions on this issue. The vast majority of these authorities accept the principles of the agreement, which include protocols for agreeing and using diversion routes when a section of the network has to be closed, but have not yet formally agreed these. In some cases specific local issues need to be resolved and Highways England is engaged with those authorities to resolve them. This leaves 31 authorities requiring an updated agreement. It should be noted that whether a partnership agreement is endorsed or otherwise, Highways England and Local Authorities work cooperatively in an emergency applying the fundamental principles contained within the agreements to uphold the safety and free-flow of their respective networks and aim to minimise disruption to drivers and communities.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his most recent assessment is of the number and location of sites which will be affected by construction of phase one of High Speed 2 which are known habitats of species subject to the strict protection requirements in Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Phase one of High Speed 2 does not adversely affect any sites designated as a Special Protection Area or a Special Area of Conservation. HS2 Ltd have carried out habitats regulations screening assessments to determine if the railway might indirectly affect certain species associated with the Southwest London Waterbodies SPA/Ramsar site in the Colne Valley, and to consider potential effects of traffic pollution in the Chilterns Beechwood Special Area of Conservation. No significant effect was determined in either case.

Nature Conservation: Greater London

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when an appropriate assessment, as defined in Article 6 of the EU Habitats Directive, was undertaken for the South-West London Waterbodies Special Protection Area.

Mr Robert Goodwill: A habitats regulations screening assessment was prepared in June 2012 which concluded that the impact of construction and operation of HS2 would have a negligible impact on gadwall and shoveler ducks in the Colne Valley Lakes and therefore no likely significant effect on the Southwest London Waterbodies SPA/Ramsar site. The details were reported in the main Environmental Statement published in November 2013.

Transport: EU Grants and Loans

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment on projects which have received funding under the Connecting Europe Facility initiative.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Projects seeking funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) should show that they comply with EU Environmental Policy. The Department will undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment, where it is required to do so, in line with its legal obligations.

Transport: EU Grants and Loans

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what total amount has been received by (a) his Department and (b) HS2 Ltd under the Connecting Europe Facility 2015 Multi-Annual Work Programme; and what estimate he has made of the amount that will be received under that programme by each body in the next three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport was awarded Connecting Europe Facility funding for the following projects in 2015: South-Wales railway electrification study (Network Rail). €4.1 millionArc Atlantique Corridor Phase II. A UK led ITS traffic management deployment project involving Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Netherlands. The UK partners (Highways England, Transport Scotland, Department for Regional Development Northern Ireland, and the Welsh Government share amounts to around €9 million).European ITS Platform – Italian project coordinating standards for deployment of ITS traffic management systems across Europe. The UK partners (Highways England, Transport Scotland, Department for Regional Development Northern Ireland, and the Welsh Government) amounts to around €0.5 million)High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) €39.2 million It is not possible to estimate how much additional funding may be available in the next three years. Funding for projects is awarded through a competitive bidding process with projects having to meet specific criteria set by the European Commission. The second call for funding closed in February 2016 and the results will be announced later this year.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the level of the Government's accumulated deficit at the end of the concession period for the Severn Bridges.

Andrew Jones: The accumulated deficit is estimated to be £63m at the end of the concession.

Air Displays: Safety

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for the capacity of the Civil Aviation Authority to ensure safety at airshows of the findings of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report on the 2015 Shoreham Airshow crash relating to the recommendations of the AAIB's report on the 2007 Shoreham Airshow crash which were not implemented.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has recently consulted the air display community on amendments to its charging scheme for air displays. The revised charges will fund an additional four people to implement actions the CAA has already identified as part of its ongoing review of airshow safety for the 2016 air display season. The majority of recommendations in the AAIB's latest bulletin cover areas where the CAA has already taken action as part of its review, and these actions will further enhance the safety of UK civil air displays.

Air Displays: Safety

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Civil Aviation Authority has taken in response to the findings of the Air Accident Investigation Branch report into the Shoreham Airshow disaster of August 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has not yet published its final report. The majority of recommendations in the AAIB's latest bulletin cover areas where the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has already taken action as part of its ongoing review of air display safety, which it established immediately after the Shoreham accident. The CAA is now reviewing the AAIB's bulletin in detail and will consider all of its recommendations carefully, alongside its ongoing air show review which is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to make an application under Article 16 of the EU Habitats Directive for a derogation in relation to species protected under Annex IV of that Directive which may be affected by Phase 1 of High Speed 2.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Where effects on protected species are identified, the appropriate licenses will be obtained from Natural England prior to any works being undertaken. This includes species protected by the Habitats Regulations 2010 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Natural England is working with HS2 ltd in scoping the required licences through 2016 in the run up to Royal Assent.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Planning Permission

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on determining the appropriate local media outlets for publication of planning notices with respect to those outlets' geographical coverage.

Brandon Lewis: The legal requirements for publicising planning applications are set out in Article 15 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure)(England) Order 2015.Where advertisement in a local newspaper is required, the notice must be published in a newspaper circulating in the locality in which the land to which the application relates is situated.

Floods: European Union Solidarity Fund

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which areas of the UK are covered by his Department's application for assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund to help communities affected by recent floods.

James Wharton: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government: Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29831, what recent steps he has taken to encourage all local authorities to publish (a) transparent financial audits and (b) undisclosed procurement costs for all public-private contracts.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department encourages local authorities to be open and transparent with their data. The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 requires local authorities to publish their audited accounts on their website, and the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires local authorities to publish details of expenditure, resource and assets, including details of all of their contracts with a value of over £5,000.

Local Government: Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29830, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on improving coordination between support teams when some or all of those services are outsourced.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department does not provide any formal guidance.

Floods: European Union Solidarity Fund

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on what date an application was submitted for assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund to help communities affected by recent floods.

James Wharton: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government: Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29830, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the procurement of public-private partnerships.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department does not provide any guidance.

Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to introduce mandatory five yearly electrical safety checks in the private rented sector.

Brandon Lewis: The Government has committed to carry out the necessary research to understand what, if any, legislative changes regarding electrical safety checks in the private rented sector should be introduced.Feedback on this research will be provided during the Lords Report stage of the Housing and Planning Bill.

Housing: Greater London

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed changes to the National Planning Framework for London on the (a) availability and (b) affordability of housing in London.

Brandon Lewis: The proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework reaffirm this Government’s commitment to increasing the supply of housing in sustainable locations. Consultation on our proposed changes closed on 22 February and we are currently analysing the responses.We have doubled the housing budget to help deliver our ambition of one million new homes and are committed to spending £8 billion to deliver over 400,000 affordable housing starts by 2021. Negotiations over the financial settlement to deliver affordable housing within London are continuing.

Housing

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of encouraging increased residential density around business and transport hubs to reduce community demand on public and private transport.

Brandon Lewis: There are some specific circumstances where there are clear opportunities for having higher density housing development while creating high quality, safe and attractive places to live.Last December we consulted on changes to national planning policy to encourage higher densities around commuter hubs, and will publish our response to this consultation in due course.

Council Housing: Domestic Violence

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many women living in council housing have requested a change of tenancy because of violence in the last 12 months; and what proportion of those women were given a direct transfer within one month.

Brandon Lewis: We do not hold the information requested.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Turkey: Armed Conflict

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of civilians who have died in South East Turkey during the current conflict in that region.

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Turkish government on the conflict in South East Turkey and further steps to protect the civilian population in that region.

Mr David Lidington: We are aware of reports of civilian casualties in south east Turkey. The Turkish Government have said that 120 civilians and more than twice that number of Turkish police and military personnel have lost their lives in clashes between 20 July 2015 and 17 February 2016. We continue to believe Turkey has a legitimate right to defend itself against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), whose attacks we condemn as we condemn all terrorism. Our thoughts are with the victims of these attacks, and the civilians who have been caught up in the violence. As in any conflict, civilian casualties should be avoided and human rights need to be fully protected.The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), and our Ambassador in Turkey have emphasised to the Turkish government the need to respect human rights, avoid civilian casualties and return to the peace process. We have been clear, in public and private, that PKK violence must end and we support a return to the peace process, in the interests of Turkey and the region. We stand ready to help in any way we can. I raised these issues when I met Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister on 12 March and with my Turkish counterpart the last time we met in August 2015.

South Sudan: Peacekeeping Operations

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UN and African Union missions in South Sudan; and what discussions he has had with the UN since the publication of its report, Assessment Mission by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to improve human rights, accountability, reconciliation and capacity in South Sudan: detailed findings, published March 2016.

James Duddridge: The UK is deeply concerned by the findings of the African Union Commission of Inquiry (AU-COI) report and the recent UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) assessment. Both reports detail appalling levels of human rights violations and abuses, including widespread levels of sexual violence, and that these may constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity.We are pressing for action on multiple levels. We are raising our serious concerns directly with the government in Juba, and when I visited South Sudan in January 2016 I pressed both the President and the Foreign Minister on human rights issues. At the same time, we are also encouraging the African Union to establish the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and pressing the UN Security Council to agree an arms embargo. At the UN Human Rights Council we are pressing for a UN Special Rapporteur to be agreed and the OHCHR report's findings to be followed up on. We will continue to work to ensure those who are responsible for abuses are held to account.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of UK nationals living in other countries in the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Malaysia: Political Prisoners

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will press for the release of former Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Mr Hugo Swire: We have made clear on a number of occasions our deep concern about Anwar Ibrahim’s imprisonment. I made a statement on 10 February 2015, following his conviction and sentencing. The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), raised Anwar Ibrahim’s case with his Malaysian counterpart during a visit to Malaysia in July last year.A number of other Ministers have raised Anwar Ibrahim’s case with their Malaysian counterparts. Most recently, in separate meetings with Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister in London in November 2015, the Home Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and I raised our concerns, including about his health and medical treatment. I have also met Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter, Nurul Izzah, several times to discuss this case, most recently in February.We are aware of concerns regarding judicial independence and the rule of law in this case. We will continue to raise our concerns and encourage Malaysia to recognise the importance of international confidence in its judicial system and to restore trust in its commitment to international human rights standards.

Duke of Cambridge: Speeches

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether (a) he, (b) officials in his Department and (c) advisers in his Department read the Duke of Cambridge's speech given at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 16 February 2016 before it was presented.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No.

Ilois: Resettlement

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Questions 30618 and 30619, on Ilois: resettlement, what the (a) process and (b) timetable will be for the Government's final decision; and if he will seek to make time available for a parliamentary debate on this matter.

James Duddridge: I refer the Hon. Member to the Westminster Hall debate on this matter which took place on 28 October 2015. The Government is still considering its policy in this area. An announcement will be made in due course.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the reported planned execution of Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdullah al-Zaher in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are very concerned about the cases of Ali al-Nimr, Dawood al-Marhoon and Abdallah al-Zaher. We have raised these cases with the Saudi Arabian authorities, most recently on 12 March, at a very senior level. Our expectation remains that they will not be executed.

Chevening: Gardens

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the staff who manage the gardens in Chevening country residence are employed as civil servants; whether such staff are enrolled under the civil service pension scheme; and under what terms and conditions such staff are employed with what pension entitlement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No members of the Civil Service are employed at Chevening.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment he has made of which of his Department's agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

Mr David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 30642, what representations the Government made to military leaders in the Democratic Unity Party on patterns of behaviour suggesting that Kurdish forces are coordinating with the Assad regime and Russia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has stated his concerns publicly regarding the actions of Kurdish forces in North West Syria. We continue to work with our international partners and to use our contacts with Kurdish groups to influence their policy, including to express concerns over links with the Asad regime and attacks on the moderate Syrian opposition. We are working through the International Syria Support Group to ensure robust implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria and to focus the peace negotiations currently underway in Geneva on political transition away from Asad, to a government in Damascus that can represent the interests of all Syrians.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 29389, whether he has sought assurances that Saudi Arabia's internal procedures for investigations are being used to investigate (a) attacks on the Médecins Sans Frontières hospitals and mobile clinic and (b) the airstrike on the Oxfam warehouse.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The results of the investigation into the October Médecins Sans Frontières incident were announced at a Saudi Arabian press conference on 31 January, as was the intention to investigate all allegations of concern. The UK has been using diplomatic and military channels to engage with Saudi Arabia on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) compliance. I have spoken to the Saudi Ambassador and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has engaged with his counterpart on the importance of compliance with IHL.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 29389, on how many occasions and on what dates since the Convention on Cluster Munitions came into force the Government has (a) raised the issue of the use of cluster munitions with Saudi Arabia and (b) encouraged Saudi Arabia to accede to that Convention.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We are aware of reports of the alleged use of Cluster Munitions by the Coalition in Yemen. We have raised this issue with the Saudi Arabian authorities and, in line with our obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, continue to encourage Saudi Arabia, as a non-party to the Convention, to accede to it.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2016 to Question 29389, on Yemen: military intervention, whether his Department has made an assessment of the independence and integrity of Saudi Arabia's internal procedures for investigations as referred to in that Question.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As the Saudi Arabian Government has publicly announced, British and other foreign advisors will provide advice to the independent committee that will assess Saudi Arabian military activity in Yemen. We are standing by to assist this activity as required.The UK has been using diplomatic and military channels to engage with Saudi Arabia on compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL). I have spoken to the Saudi Ambassador and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has engaged with his counterpart on the importance of compliance with IHL.

Leader of the House

Written Questions

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Leader of the House, how many and what proportion of each Department's Named Day Questions have been answered on the named day in the most recent period for which data is available.

Chris Grayling: The last submission from the Government on Parliamentary Written Questions performance was sent to the Procedure Committee on 4 November 2015 and covered the 2014-2015 Parliamentary Session. It is available at http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/Letter-fro.pdf!docid=2617780!.pdf.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: North East

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many core staff of his Department are based in each location in the North East of England.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 04 March 2016



  The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has a total of 1,997 staff based in the North East Region of which 25 are HQ staff. Locations are set out in the table below.LocationNumber of peopleBIS HQ, Queensway House, Billingham1BIS HQ, Lingfield Point, Darlington8BIS HQ, St Georges House, Gateshead16BIS HQ Subtotal25ACAS73Insolvency Service44Land Registry428Skills Funding Agency51Student Loan Company1,370UK Trade & Investment6BIS Total1,997

Postgraduate Education: Social Work

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many graduates began a Masters degree in social work in each year since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 04 March 2016



The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on students enrolled at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Information on the number of students entering Masters Degrees in social work subjects at UK HEIs in the academic years 2010/11 to 2014/15 has been provided in the table.This year we will be introducing postgraduate Master’s loans to support those wishing to pursue a master’s degree in any subject.  Entrants to Masters Degrees in social work subjectsUK Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic Years 2010/11 to 2014/15Academic Year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15Entrants3,3203,1502,6803,0202,735Source: HESA Student RecordNotes:(1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 5(2) Entrants refers to students in their first year of study(3) Figures relate to all entrants rather than those who are graduates.(4) Subject information is given in terms of full-person equivalents - defined using the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS3) and derived by apportioning each student between the different subjects that made up their course

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Pay

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department spent on salaries for (a) senior Civil Servants and (b) all other grades at (i) St Paul's Place, Sheffield and (ii) 1 Victoria Street, London in (A) 2014-15 and (B) 2015-16 to date.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 07 March 2016



The following tables show the basic salaries and allowances paid to Senior Civil Servants in: 2014-15 (i) St Paul's Place, Sheffield(ii) 1 Victoria Street, London£587,842£15,087,650 2015-16 to date (i) St Paul's Place, Sheffield(ii) 1 Victoria Street, London£436,059£15,548,049 The following tables show the basic salaries and allowances paid to all other grades in: 2014-15 Grade(i) St Paul's Place, Sheffield(ii) 1 Victoria Street, LondonGrade 6£861,385£16,330,679Grade 7£3,448,242£28,394,098SEO£2,134,433£9,445,839FaststreamThe numbers in this grade and location would make it possible to identify personal information of individual employees. These costs have therefore not been included£2,653,996HEO£1,823,162£11,031,962EO£699,586£6,365,262AOThe numbers in this grade and location would make it possible to identify personal information of individual employees. These costs have therefore not been included£2,045,520AAThere are no AA grade staff based in St Paul’s Place£197,447 2015-16 to date Grade(i) St Paul's Place, Sheffield(ii) 1 Victoria Street, LondonGrade 6£1,161,328£16,419,099Grade 7£3,448,283£28,186,571SEO£2,372,398£9,529,413FaststreamThe numbers in this grade and location would make it possible to identify personal information of individual employees. These costs have therefore not been included£2,538,015HEO£1,747,746£11,194,382EO£769,613£6,237,211AOThe numbers in this grade and location would make it possible to identify personal information of individual employees. These costs have therefore not been included£1,973,589AAThere are no AA grade staff based in St Paul’s PlaceThe numbers in this grade and location would make it possible to identify personal information of individual employees. These costs have therefore not been included

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on the consequential effects of the introduction of maintenance loans for part-time students.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 07 March 2016



The Government announced in the Spending Review that for the first time, student finance would be available to part time students to help meet both tuition and living costs. Discussions are ongoing with other Government Departments and stakeholders regarding the new maintenance loan product for part time higher education students, and specifically its interaction with the social security system.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Fringe Benefits

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 26810, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of travel expenses, paid car allowances or subsidised health insurance.

Joseph Johnson: Individual job titles are not held centrally by the BIS HR database. Roles tend to be grouped under work areas e.g. ‘policy delivery’ or ‘human resources’ instead of job titles.Where we are able to identify job titles, they are very specific roles carried out by individual employees, and therefore it would be possible to identify personal information of these employees. This information has therefore not been released.

Migrant Workers: Fees and Charges

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of plans under the Immigration Bill to introduce a charge on UK employers for employing skilled foreign workers on the number of people applying to study STEM subjects at university.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is considering carefully the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations on migration including the likely impact on different sectors. It is essential that the UK remains open for business, while migration levels are controlled.

Broadband

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on improving (a) business and (b) personal access to broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government recognises the importance of broadband access throughout the UK for both businesses and individuals. I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on how the UK can become a world leader in broadband, and on 24 February my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) announced a joint BIS/DCMS Review into Business Broadband to ensure that businesses are able to access the affordable, high-speed broadband they need.

Higher Education: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support is available for people responsible for developing mental wellbeing and related policy, procedure and practice within higher education institutions.

Joseph Johnson: The Government takes these issues seriously. Higher Education Institutions, as autonomous and independent bodies, have clear legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with mental health conditions. Ensuring the wellbeing of students is important to our universities. Institutions are best placed to determine what welfare and counselling services they need to provide to their students and to ensure mechanisms are in place to identify students in need. New guidance from BIS to the Director of Fair Access published on 11 February, asks him to focus on addressing a range of gaps in the access, retention and outcomes for students, including providing more help for those with mental health needs, through Access Agreements agreed with universities. There is a great deal of guidance and support available to institutions from a range of sector and medical bodies. In February 2015, Universities UK published a Good Practice Guide on student mental wellbeing in higher education. It aims to support institutions in building and improving their provision for students

Overseas Investment: Treaties

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the next review of the UK's bilateral investment treaties will take place.

Anna Soubry: The Government currently has no plans to review the UK’s bilateral investment treaties.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answers of 11 February and 2 March 2016 to Questions 27077 and 28765, if he will commission a review of the legality of arms sales to Saudi Arabia which takes account of all recent representations on that matter.

Anna Soubry: Her Majesty’s Government is satisfied that we are not in breach of our international obligations. A licence will not be issued, to Saudi Arabia or any other destination, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. On that basis there are no plans to commission a review of the legality of arms sales.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Security Guards

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much security guards in his Department are paid.

Joseph Johnson: The Department’s Total Facilities Management (TFM) Contract includes the provision of security guards. The minimum hourly rate for security guards under the TFM contract is £8.48 and on average, annual salary is in the region of £26,500.

Education: Hearing Impairment

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what change there has been to the number of deaf people achieving further and higher education qualifications in the last five years.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 15 March 2016



The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes information on students enrolled at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The number of Higher Education qualifications achieved by deaf or hearing-impaired students at HEIs in England in the past five years is presented in the table: Qualifications Achieved by Deaf or Hearing-Impaired Students by Academic YearEnglish Higher Education InstitutionsAcademic Years 2010/11 to 2014/15Academic Year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15Qualifications Achieved1,4451,5701,5201,4301,295Source: BIS Analysis of HESA Student RecordNotes:(1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 5(2) Deafness and hearing-impairment based on self-declaration by the student The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) collects and publishes information on learners achieving Further Education and Skills qualifications. The number of FE and Skills qualifications achieved by deaf or hearing-impaired learners at Further Education Colleges in England in the past five years is presented in the table:Qualifications Achieved by Deaf or Hearing-Impaired Students by Academic YearEnglish Further Education InstitutionsAcademic Years 2010/11 to 2014/15Academic Year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15Qualifications Achieved20,69020,72023,85023,99021,530Source: Skills Funding Agency Individualised Learner RecordNotes:(1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 10(2) Deafness and hearing-impairment based on self-declaration by the learner

Disabled Students' Allowances: Impact Assessments

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to conduct an equality impact assessment on the effect of changes to the Disabled Students' Allowance.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 15 March 2016



An Equality Analysis was undertaken as part of the consultation exercise on reforms to Disabled Students’ Allowances. This was published on 2 December 2015.

Retail Trade: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the proportion of the working population in Southampton which was working in small retail outlets over the last three years.

Anna Soubry: Official statistics are not sufficiently detailed to answer this question directly. However a rough estimate may be possible by combining sources.The ONS Business Registers and Employment Survey shows that the retail sector accounted for 10 – 11% of employment in Southampton in each year between 2012 and 2014.Furthermore BIS Business Population Estimates suggest that across the UK as a whole small firms (those below 50 employees) account for around 29% of employment in the retail sector.Applying this assumption we could estimate that small retailers accounted for around 3% of employment in Southampton in 2012-2014.

Travel Agents: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the UK tourism sector of the French ban on parity clauses for online travel agents.

Nick Boles: My Department has no plans to make such an assessment.Any assessment of the impact of parity clauses on competition and consumers falls within the remit of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is the UK’s primary competition and consumer authority.One of the CMA’s predecessors, the Office of Fair Trading, launched an investigation into alleged resale price maintenance in arrangements between a hotel group and two online travel agents, though this ultimately led to no action being taken. The CMA keeps these issues under review and is working closely with other national competition authorities and the European Commission to do this.

Business: Government Assistance

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many businesses in each (a) parliamentary constituency, (b) local authority area and (c) Government Office region received funding under the (i) Enterprise Finance Guarantee, (ii) Working Capital and (iii) British Business Bank in each year during which those schemes have been in existence.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 17 March 2016



Since the launch on 14 January 2009 of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme, 29,092 loans have been offered with a value of over £3 billion. With regard to Working Capital support, 47 companies have also received support through UK Export Finance’s Export Working Capital product, enabling over £250 million of export contracts to take place The British Business Bank was formally created in November 2014. Its programmes are currently supporting £2.5 billion of finance to over 44,000 smaller businesses, and participating in a further £3.6 billion of finance to small mid-cap businesses. Where it has been possible to provide the data in the format requested this has been included in the attached tables.



Regional Totals
(Word Document, 209.19 KB)

Export Credit Guarantees: Corruption

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on how many occasions the Export Credits Guarantee Department has reported allegations of bribery and corruption to (a) the Serious Fraud Office and (b) other agencies in each of the last six years.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 17 March 2016



During this period no allegations of bribery and corruption have been disclosed to UK Export Finance (the operating name of the Export Credits Guarantee Department) that were not already in the public domain. Accordingly, the Department has not referred any allegations of bribery or corruption to the Serious Fraud Office, or other similar agencies, over that period.

Foreign Investment in UK: EU Countries

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many inward investment projects originating from other EU member states have been established in each region and constituent part of the UK for each year for which data is available.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 17 March 2016



Below is a breakdown of all successful inward investment projects recorded from EU countries in each region and constituent part of the UK during the 2010/11 - 2014/15 period. These are based on estimates made by UK Trade and Investment. RegionForeign Direct Investment Projects originating from the EUEast Midlands117East of England132London880North East89North West240Scotland153South East281South West129UK Wide24West Midlands228Yorkshire & The Humber157Wales96Northern Ireland86Total2,612Source: UKTI internal database. Note: Based on UKTI’s estimates of successful inward investment projects originating from 27 EU member countries into the UK regions at the time of announcement of investment projects during each of the reporting period between 2010/11 to 2014/15.

Institute for Apprenticeships

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the planned duration is of the appointment of Rachel Sandby-Thomas as shadow CEO of the Institute for Apprenticeships.

Nick Boles: The appointment of Rachel Sandby-Thomas as shadow CEO will commence on 4th April 2016 and will continue through to the launch of the Institute for Apprenticeships when arrangements will be made to appoint on a permanent basis.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he took to take into account the rules on conflicts of interest set out in (a) Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies, (b) Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Rules of Conduct and (c) Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct in the recruitment process for the recently-appointed Pubs Code Adjudicator; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Paul Newby was appointed in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ (OCPA) Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies.His prior experience of the pubs sector as a surveyor and arbitrator and his ability to forge trusted relationships with both tenants and PubCos is an asset, not a conflict of interest.The appointment panel discussed conflicts of interest with him at interview. The Panel was satisfied there were no conflicts of interest, and put this advice to ministers.Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators membership were not requirements for this post, so the documents referred to are not directly relevant to the appointment process.

National Graphene Institute: Intellectual Property and Research

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to protect intellectual property rights and research being conducted at Manchester University's National Graphene Institute.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 21 March 2016



The UK has one of the most innovative economies and the best IP environment in the world. The Intellectual Property Office offers guidance to all Universities on how to manage and protect their IP assets. In addition, the Government provides a framework and guidance on information security for organisations including universities. Universities are independent and autonomous institutions and it is a matter for individual institutions to determine how they apply guidance. Government wants to increase university income from collaboration and commercialisation to £5bn by 2025. The University of Manchester is one of the world’s most successful universities in this respect, working with over 40 partners at the forefront of the graphene revolution.

Apprentices

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimates his Department has made of the number of people undertaking an apprenticeship in (a) Lancashire and (b) the UK in each of the last three years.

Nick Boles: Information on Apprenticeship starts by Local Authority, in England, for the last three academic years is published as a supplementary table (first link) to a Statistical First Release (second link). https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/493777/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held The Department does not collect further education information relating to the devolved administrations.

Apprentices: Publicity

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to promote apprenticeships during National Apprenticeship Week.

Nick Boles: National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) celebrates apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. Hundreds of events took place across the country to encourage more people and employers to see the benefits that apprenticeships bring. Employers, apprentices, support organisations, colleges, training providers and schools across the country were encouraged to support the week by hosting activities to showcase the achievements and benefits of apprenticeships and traineeships. Social media was widely used, including Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram. I and my fellow Ministers were out throughout the week meeting apprentices and their employers. Full information about NAW is at https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/national-apprenticeship-week-2016.

Apprentices: Qualifications

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 20728, when his Department plans to publish the 2013-14 report on the prior qualification levels of apprentices.

Nick Boles: A submission on this report is due to be sent up to Ministers shortly requesting approval for publication. The findings are broadly in line with last year’s study.

Apprentices: Assessments

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the role of (a) the Institute of Apprenticeships, (b) the Skills Funding Agency and (c) Ofqual is in relation to the independent assessment of Apprenticeship Trailblazers.

Nick Boles: The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) will be fully operational from April 2017 and will be responsible for the scrutiny and approval of expressions of interest, apprenticeship standards and assessment plans submitted by employer groups. As in the current system, employers will continue to come together to design new apprenticeship standards, should they choose. The IfA will be responsible for maintaining a public database of apprenticeship standards and may publish information on potential gaps. The IfA will also have a role in quality assuring the delivery of apprentice end-point assessments where employer groups have been unable to propose employer-led arrangements. It will work closely with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and Ofqual. The SFA registers of training providers and assessment organisations will continue to vet the appropriateness of organisations involved in the delivery of apprenticeships. Ofqual will continue to quality assure any qualifications, where included in apprenticeships.

Apprentices

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprenticeships were (a) started and (b) completed in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) region of England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles: Information on Apprenticeship starts and achievements by parliamentary constituency and region, in England, is published as a supplementary table (first link: starts, second link: achievements) to a Statistical First Release (third link). https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/493777/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/504335/apprenticeships-achievements-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held The Department does not collect further education information relating to the devolved administrations.

Floods: Small Businesses

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent floods on small businesses.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 17 March 2016



The most recent available data indicated that 4,940 businesses across northern England had been flooded following this winter’s exceptional rainfall. The vast majority of these will be small and medium size businesses. Impacts included flooded property, loss of stock and equipment and interruption to trading. Our interventions, include business recovery grants (a total of £11 m from BIS, of which £4,572,000 has been paid out), business rate relief (£4.26 m from DCLG), and property level resilience scheme (£5,000 per household or business, to incorporate greater flood resilience into property repairs).

Living Wage

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to prevent reductions in bonuses, shifts and bank holiday pay for employees before the implementation of the national living wage.

Nick Boles: The National Living Wage represents a significant step up for the lowest paid in society. On current forecasts, a full-time minimum wage worker will earn almost £4,200 more per year by 2020 compared to the current minimum wage. It is for individual businesses to decide exactly how to respond to the introduction of the National Living Wage, appropriate to their circumstances. But any changes to contractual pay should be discussed and agreed with workers in advance.

Pregnancy: Discrimination

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reason is for the time taken to publish the final version of the report on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pregnancy: Discrimination

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the final version of the report on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage will be published.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fireworks

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to further regulate the use of fireworks.

Anna Soubry: I am aware of recent concerns about the use of fireworks in some parts of the country. However, I believe that the majority of people enjoy fireworks sensibly, responsibly and in accordance with the current restrictions on their use and I therefore have no immediate plans to review the legislation already in place.

Research: Expenditure

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much public funding was spent on research and development in each year for which data is available.

Joseph Johnson: The information requested is published annually and can be found on the Office for National Statistics website at the following location: http://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received from pub tenants and pub tenant groups on the appointment of the new Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Anna Soubry: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value was of Official Development Assistance spent by his Department in each of the last six years; and what proportion of that assistance was subject to the International Development Act 2002.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sign Language

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of the devolution of skills policy to local authorities on the development of British Sign Language and sign language interpreting skills.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to respond to Question 24897, tabled on 29 January 2016 by the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham for Answer on 3 February 2016.

Joseph Johnson: I apologise to my hon Friend for the delay. I will reply shortly.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Departmental Reorganisation

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the status is of the McKinsey report which informed the BIS 2020 departmental restructuring strategy.

Joseph Johnson: The McKinsey team validated the early work undertaken by the BIS senior team, providing a perspective on the scale of the opportunity for operating cost savings and advising on deliverability, risks and any additional benefits.

Science: Lothian

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 69 of the Budget 2016, when his Department plans to start the science and innovation audit in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Zika Virus: Research

James Heappey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to help support research into the Zika virus.

Joseph Johnson: In February we allocated £1 million from the Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund to help urgently tackle the Zika virus; the Medical Research Council (MRC) received over 100 applications for support through its Rapid Response Initiative. To meet this demand, in March we committed up to an additional £2 million, with a further £1 million from the Wellcome Trust, bringing the total that was available up to a maximum of £4 million of funding.Today, the MRC has announced that it has allocated c. £3.2 million of this funding to tackle the emerging and unknown threats of this virus. Our commitment to protect the science budget in real terms to the end of the Parliament means we can react quickly to help tackle these life-threatening global challenges.

Department for International Development

Burundi: Overseas Aid

Jo Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has for post-conflict assistance in Burundi.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK is gravely concerned about the ongoing political and human rights crisis in Burundi. DFID has provided technical support, in the form of secondment of experts, to support and strengthen the capacity of UN agencies working in Burundi, and has deployed a humanitarian adviser to the region in support of the response and to monitor funding provided so far.DFID has provided £21.15 million since April 2015 to support shelter, food, healthcare and livelihoods assistance for Burundian refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda. DFID is also supporting refugees in the DRC and Uganda through existing programmes and the provision of technical advice. DFID offices across the region are working closely to monitor the situation, review preparedness activities and provide humanitarian support.

Burundi: Overseas Aid

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what contingency plans her Department has for additional support to Burundi in the event of a further escalation of violence in that country.

Mr Nick Hurd: DFID is supporting Burundian refugees in Tanzania and Rwanda, as the second largest donor to the regional appeal with £21.15 million in contributions since April 2015. DFID has deployed a humanitarian adviser to the region, and within Burundi we are supporting technical experts seconded to the UN. DFID will continue to work with counterparts across Whitehall, the international financial institutions (IFIs) and humanitarian partners in Burundi. DFID has prepared a response plan in the event of significant unmet humanitarian needs emerging. DFID is monitoring the situation closely with the FCO, and will consider additional funding should there be a further deterioration in the situation.

Burundi: Bilateral Aid

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department plans to reinstate the bilateral aid programme with Burundi.

Mr Nick Hurd: There are no plans for DFID to re-open the office in Burundi. DFID’s bilateral programme in Burundi closed in 2012 following the 2010 Bilateral Aid Review. We have provided support to Burundi through Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), an independent agency promoting trade and regional economic integration, given that this is central to Burundi’s growth and prosperity. DFID has provided £10 million for TMEA work in Burundi since 2012.DFID will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with counterparts across Whitehall, the international financial institutions (IFIs) and humanitarian partners in Burundi. DFID is working with the IFIs to identify options to support the provision of basic services, where there is none. DFID has prepared a response plan in the event of significant unmet humanitarian needs emerging.DFID has also provided technical support, in the form of secondment of experts, to support UN agencies working in Burundi. This includes support to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) to strengthen humanitarian coordination in Burundi.

Libya: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has provided to UNOCHA for work in Libya to date.

Mr Desmond Swayne: As part of DFID’s humanitarian programme in Libya, we are funding a secondment position within the UN’s Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) until August 2016. This OCHA position will support a more coordinated international response, and the establishment of an information management system to strengthen understanding of the humanitarian situation.

Libya: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has provided to assist the humanitarian situation in Libya in the last 12 months.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In the last 12 months, DFID has provided £2.1 million of humanitarian assistance for protection and immediate lifesaving assistance to vulnerable populations in Libya and to support co-ordination of the international humanitarian effort.

Department for Education

STEM Subjects: Females

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the study of STEM subjects by girls at GCSE.

Nick Gibb: The number of girls studying mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology at GCSE is broadly similar to boys and the inclusion of science GCSEs in the EBacc will support greater take up of these subjects by all pupils. The Government wants to see more girls progressing to mathematics and science subjects at A Level, building on the 12,000 additional A Level entries in these subjects by girls since 2010. Improving the quality of teaching is vital and we are taking action by investing £67 million over the term of this Parliament to recruit and train more mathematics and physics teachers, and by offering bursaries and scholarships to attract top graduates into mathematics and science teaching. We are also providing support to schools to raise the quality of mathematics and science teaching through the network of mathematics hubs and science learning partnerships, and other programmes such as the Stimulating Physics Network which has a particular focusing on engaging more girls in physics. The Government supports the “Your Life” campaign which aims to change the perceptions of science and mathematics among all young people, but with a focus on girls.

Office of the Schools Adjudicator: Complaints

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to continue to permit civil society organisations to submit complaints to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.

Nick Gibb: On 25 January 2016, we announced our intention to limit who may refer objections to the Schools Adjudicator to local parents and local authorities. This intention has not changed.

Schools: Admissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27311, where in the Chief Schools Adjudicator's annual reports the information sought can be found.

Nick Gibb: Data on the number of objections referred to the Schools Adjudicator and their outcome can be found on page 20 of the Chief Schools Adjudicator’s annual report for 2014/15, available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/osa-annual-report.The Adjudicator does not publish data broken down by category of objector.

Sex and Relationship Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons sex and relationships education is statutory in maintained secondary schools and not in other secondary schools.

Edward Timpson: Academies do not have to follow the national curriculum but are required to provide a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum. This allows them to have the maximum possible freedom to personalise learning for all their pupils, including the most able pupils and those needing additional support. The Government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Government also expects academies and free schools to deliver relationship education as part of their provision of a broad and balanced curriculum. Any state-funded school teaching SRE must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance (2000) which makes clear that all sex and relationship education should be age-appropriate and that schools should ensure young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgements and behaviour.

Enterprise Advisers: Recruitment

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30445, what target she has set for the (a) number of enterprise advisers to be appointed and (b) timeframe for those advisers to be put in place.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30445, what target she has set for the (a) number of enterprise coordinators to be appointed and (b) timeframe for those coordinators to be put in place.

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30445, how many full-time equivalent staff are working for the Careers and Enterprise Company; and what estimate she has made of what the final number of full-time equivalent staff at that body will be.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) has made excellent progress in its work to transform the provision of careers, enterprise and employer engagement experiences for young people. The CEC is aiming for Local Enterprise Partnerships to recruit 50 Enterprise Co-ordinators and 300 volunteer Enterprise Advisers between September 2015 and March 2016. The Department for Education is in the process of agreeing the CEC’s funding and targets for the forthcoming financial year.The number of full-time equivalent staff currently employed by the CEC is 18. Further recruitment will depend on the funding available to the company and its objectives for future years.

Pupil Referral Units: Standards

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupil referral units were graded as outstanding by Ofsted in each year since 2012.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

Primary Education

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the well-being of children being assessed at Key Stage 2 level in June 2016; and whether her Department has conducted an impact assessment of changes to primary school assessments at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 level.

Nick Gibb: Assessment is a crucial part of a child’s schooling and is fundamental in a high-performing education system. It enables parents and teachers to see how pupils are performing in relation to national expectations and identifies the areas where additional support for pupils is needed. The best way to prepare pupils for the tests is by teaching the National Curriculum and we do not recommend that schools devote excessive preparation time for Key Stage 2 tests. We trust teachers to prepare pupils in a way that does not put undue pressure on them. Schools are also required to provide continuous and appropriate support as part of a whole school approach to supporting the wellbeing and resilience of pupils. It is therefore recommended that any child experiencing high levels of stress should speak to their teachers or school counsellors. The Government recognises that it will take time for schools to adjust to new primary assessment arrangements. We have developed new assessments to reflect the new National Curriculum and made the expected standard more challenging to align with the high expectations it sets. The new statutory assessments, however, still measure the same range of attainment. Additionally, statutory tests only form part of the broader assessments that teachers make about pupils on an ongoing basis. Throughout the introduction of these reforms, we have worked closely with teachers, head teachers and their union representatives and considered their concerns fully. We will continue to do so in resolving any remaining issues.

Schools: Admissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27310, on how many occasions other than cases in which an objection was submitted the Schools Adjudicator has judged a school's admission arrangements not to be compliant with the Schools Adjudicator's Code in the last two years.

Nick Gibb: The Schools Adjudicator has the power, under Section 88H of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, to consider objections to a school’s determined admission arrangements. She also has the power, under Section 88I of the Act, to consider whether admission arrangements that come to her attention by other means comply with the School Admissions Code. Data on the number of cases considered by the Adjudicator and their outcome can be found on page 20 of the Chief Schools Adjudicator’s annual report for 2014/15. The report can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/osa-annual-report.The Adjudicator does not publish data broken down in the way requested.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 27469, what representations she has received on whether the admissions criteria employed by religiously selective schools are sufficiently clear for parents to be able to understand them; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: As part of our current review of the School Admissions Code, we are considering whether changes need to be made to address some of the issues highlighted by the Schools Adjudicator. The School Admissions Code requires that the oversubscription criteria of all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious character, are reasonable, clear, objective, and procedurally fair. Schools operating faith-admission arrangements must ensure that parents can easily understand how any faith-based criteria will be reasonably satisfied. Parents should be able to look at a set of arrangements and understand easily how places for that school will be allocated. If parents consider arrangements are unclear or unfair they can object to the Schools Adjudicator. Officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders to discuss admissions policy.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of schools employ a mental health specialist as a permanent member of staff.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This is a matter for schools to decide. We have recently commissioned an extensive survey which will provide nationally representative estimates of what provision schools and colleges offer for mental health and character education. The fieldwork will begin in the summer term.We are also contributing to a £3 million joint pilot with NHS England for training single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services, to ensure that children and young people have timely access to specialist support where needed.

Ministry of Justice

Just Solutions International

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance he issued to his officials who worked on Just Solutions International on their role in the private sector after the winding up of that company.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the article of 13 March 2016 in the Mail on Sunday, when each civil servant referred to in that article left his Department; and what their positions were in Just Solutions International.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the terms of reference are for the inquiry investigating allegations concerning former civil servants announced on 14 March 2016; who is leading that inquiry; and what the timetable is for that inquiry to report.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on the use of its intellectual property in the private sector.

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of his Department's officials who have left his Department in the last three years now work in (a) TDPi and (b) other consultancy firms.

Andrew Selous: I made a Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 14 March which can be found at the following link: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-03-14/HCWS619/The investigation is being led by a Deputy Director in the Cabinet Office, and I will update the House once its work is complete.

Personal Injury

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the changes to personal injury law and procedure announced in the 2015 Autumn Statement on the proportion of cases taken up by (a) claims management companies and (b) qualified solicitors' practices; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The government will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course and the consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Civil Proceedings

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of cases being dealt with by the courts which could be resolved through a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Mr Shailesh Vara: No estimate has been made of the number of the cases being dealt with by the courts which could be resolved through a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution.The Government however fully supports, and encourages, alternative dispute resolution in a number of ways, including mediation, early conciliation, and other alternatives to court.

Paternity

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications there were for a declaration of parentage under section 55A of the Family Law Act 1986 to the (a) high, (b) magistrates and (c) county courts in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prime Minister

Privy Council

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on compliance with Privy Council rules.

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he plans to issue guidance on adherence to Privy Council rules in the period preceding the EU referendum.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made to the House by the Lord President of the Council on 14 March 2016, Official Report, columns 653-654.

Privy Council

Tom Watson: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will carry out an investigation into whether there was a breach of Privy Council rules in relation to the story in The Sun of 9 March 2016 relating to HM The Queen and the referendum on EU membership.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made to the House by the Lord President of the Council on 14 March 2016, Official Report, columns 653-654. and to the Cabinet Secretary's letter to the hon. Member for Ilford North (Mr Streeting) 11 March 2016. I have placed a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Chequers: Gardens

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Prime Minister, whether the staff who manage the gardens in Chequers country residence are employed as civil servants; whether such staff are enrolled under the civil service pension scheme; and under what terms and conditions such staff are employed with what pension entitlement.

Mr David Cameron: Chequers staff are not civil servants. The terms and conditions for member of staff employed at Chequers are a matter for its independent trustees.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Travel Agents: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has carried out an assessment of the effect of high commission costs and the low transparency of such costs in the online travel agent sector on the ability of consumers to achieve value for money when booking hotels.

David Evennett: DCMS has not conducted an assessment of the effect that commission costs, or their transparency, have on the ability of consumers to achieve value for money when booking hotels online.

Mayflower: Anniversaries

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower.

David Evennett: The Anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower is a wonderful opportunity to reignite the interest that American citizens have in our nations' shared history.​ ​Plymouth City Council are leading the commemorations for this anniversary - representing the beginning of one of the most enduring alliances in the world. The Government has made over £500,000 available to support the Council's ambition for this celebration to be a year of both national and international significance for the city.

Royal Parks: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the gardeners employed by the Royal Parks are enrolled in the civil service pension scheme; and how many such gardeners are enrolled in each version of that scheme.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Since 1992 landscape maintenance and allied work in The Royal Parks (TRP) has been contracted out, and there are no gardeners employed by the contractors that are eligible for the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) .

Telecommunications: Power Failures

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the resilience of the (a) mobile telephone network, (b) landline telephone network and (c) fibre optic broadband network after a power cut; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Government continually assesses the resilience of the communications network and works closely with the communications industry to do this. Power is the main dependency of the communications sector, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), published in November 2015, highlighted Government’s commitment to enhancing the UK’s resilience to power disruption. Government will continue to work with industry to ensure the ongoing resilience and availability of services across the sector in the event of power loss.

Public Libraries: Closures

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many libraries have closed in the last six years.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not commission specific information relating to the closure of public libraries, but does monitor closely proposed changes to library service provision throughout England. Based on desk research undertaken by the Department, we estimate that from January 2010 to January 2016 approximately 110 static public libraries in England closed completely. Annual statistics on public libraries are collected and published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and this includes details of the net number of libraries open as at 31 March of each year, but specific details of library closures since 2010 are not available from these statistics. Changes in these net figures will reflect a combination of library closures, new libraries opening, as well as libraries that are no longer part of the local authority statutory library service but remain open as community-run libraries.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Departmental Expenditure Limits

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 78 in the Autumn Statement 2015 and page 91 of the Budget 2016, for what reason the estimate of his Resource DEL budget for 2015-16 has changed from £1.1 billion to £1.2 billion.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Resource DEL budget (excluding depreciation) for 2015-16 in the Autumn Statement 2015 reflected the Main Estimate cover of £1,140m; the Resource DEL budget (excluding depreciation) for 2015-16 in the Budget 2016 reflected the Supplementary Estimate cover of £1,166m. The movements that make up the change of £25,899,000 are scheduled on pages 507-508 of the Supplementary Estimate 2015-16.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Departmental Expenditure Limits

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 79 in the Autumn Statement 2015 and page 92 in the Budget 2016, for what reason the estimate of his Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 has changed from £0.4 billion to £0.3 billion.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 in the Autumn Statement 2015 reflected the Main Estimate cover of £402m; the Capital DEL budget for 2015-16 in the Budget 2016 reflected the Supplementary Estimate cover of £368m. The movements that make up the change of £33,928,000 are scheduled on page 509 of the Supplementary Estimate 2015-16.

Broadband

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 65 of the Budget, how much he expects to contribute from his Departmental resources to establish the new Broadband Investment Fund in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Mr Edward Vaizey: At Budget 2016 the Government announced an intention to establish a Broadband Investment Fund. No decision has yet been made on the amount that will be invested. The next stage of the process will see the Government procure a fund manager to raise and manage the fund.

Television: Licensing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the potential additional revenue that would be generated for the BBC by extending the licence fee to include viewing content on iPlayer.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The Government is currently working with the BBC to come to an agreed estimate of the likely revenue impact. These measures are being introduced to ensure that payment of the licence fee is fair for the public and that those who enjoy BBC content pay the licence fee accordingly.

Gaming Machines

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish its Triennial Review of gambling machine stakes and prize limits; and if he will make a statement.

David Evennett: In April 2015 the previous Government introduced regulations requiring authorisation of stakes over £50 on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals through a “verified account” or staff interaction.The Government published its evaluation of the £50 regulations on 21 January, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-gaming-machine-circumstances-of-useamendment-regulations-2015 We will now consider the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for a reassessment of an award for disability living allowance to be conducted before a person is migrated to the personal independence payment.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the average actual clearance times, at a number of different points throughout the claiming process, for Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment claims has been published and is available from the data tables accompanying the latest PIP statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.

Occupational Pensions: Pay

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on employers offering higher salaries to employees who opt of occupational pension schemes.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to enforce section 54 of the Pensions Act 2008.

Justin Tomlinson: Section 54 of the Pensions Act 2008 prohibits employers from taking any action for the sole or main purpose of inducing a worker to leave a workplace pension scheme.The Government takes potential inducement by employers very seriously. The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is responsible for all matters relating to employers’ compliance with their enrolment duties, including investigations into individual cases of potential inducement by employers.Through automatic enrolment we are delivering a fundamental shift in workplace pension saving that is changing the way that people are enabled to save for retirement. Already 100,668 employers have completed their declaration of compliance with the Regulator, resulting in more than 6 million eligible jobholders being automatically enrolled into a qualifying pension scheme.The law relating to inducements is an important safeguard for workers and the Regulator has statutory powers of investigation and enforcement it can use in appropriate circumstances. We are working with the Regulator to monitor the number and nature of possible inducement cases as the roll-out of automatic enrolment continues. That will enable us to judge whether the current legislation covering inducement, and the guidance and messaging provided by the Regulator, are operating effectively to protect employees, and whether change may be appropriate.

Department for Work and Pensions: European Social Fund

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department received from the European Social Fund between (a) 2007 and 2014 and (b) 2014 and the last month for which data is available.

Priti Patel: DWP, as a European Social Fund co-financing organisation, received £303,861,761 between January 2007 and December 2013; and £96,331,501 between January 2014 and March 2016 from the 2007-13 European Social Fund programme. The money was used to fund providers to deliver support to help unemployed people improve their employability and move into work. Please note that these figures represent England only as responsibility for ESF is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Didcot Power Station

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to assist the RWE Group and the Health and Safety Executive in developing plans for the next stage of recovery at Didcot Power Station.

Justin Tomlinson: As the Minister with responsibility for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), I have met with representatives of Thames Valley Police (TVP) and HSE to discuss progress with recovery. I have received assurance that the responsible organisation, RWE Group, has presented a plan to HSE and TVP to commence work safely on the debris pile of the collapsed structure in order to recover the missing men.The Strategic Coordinating Group (‘Gold’ command) is coordinating the multi-agency responders to resume the recovery operation. Progress with the plan over the coming days will be monitored by HSE and TVP as part of the ongoing response to the incident.

Employment: Disability

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department offers businesses to encourage them to employ people with additional needs.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government is committed to ensuring that all disabled people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations. Work is an important part of this, which is why in our manifesto we committed to halving the disability employment gap.Disability Confident works with an increasing number of employers to promote the benefits of employing disabled people, encouraging good practice, challenging prejudicial attitudes and helping to ensure that disabled people have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.Access to Work provides support above and beyond employers’ reasonable adjustments. Every year, Access to Work supports tens of thousands of disabled workers to enter or retain employment and progress in their careers.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephones

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department issues to jobcentre staff who make telphone calls to claimants on the leaving of voicemail messages in the case of missed calls.

Priti Patel: DWP staff have an important responsibility to protect personal data and are instructed to adhere to our security policies when leaving voicemail messages. Voicemails left must never disclose any personal information, and should never include information by reference or expressly about:National Insurance numbers;Bank account details;Current or previous addresses;Information about health conditions;Their full name;Dates of birth;Family details;Appointment details;Or where it is clear that leaving a message would be inappropriate (e.g. where the purpose of the call is to clarify certain details about the claimant). Messages left must be clear about the purpose, be brief and to the point, and relevant to the query concerned. All appropriate IT systems must also be annotated with the action taken on the claimant’s record.

PAYE: EEA Nationals

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the methodology and data sources set out in his Department's paper, Benefit claims by EEA nationals, published in November 2015, how many individuals recorded in government computer systems who were nationals of another EEA member country at time of registration for a national insurance number and are recorded as having arrived in 2004-05 using the earlier of arrival date and NINO registration date have paid PAYE income tax in each year from 2005 to 2015.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: EEA Nationals

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the methodology and data sources set out in his Department's paper, Benefit claims by EEA nationals, published in November 2015, how many individuals recorded in government computer systems who were nationals of another EEA member country at time of registration for a national insurance number and are recorded as having arrived in 2004-05 using the earlier of arrival date and NINO registration date have claimed benefits or tax credits in each year from 2005 to 2015.

Priti Patel: The information requested for March 2013 was published in the November ad hoc statistics report available at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/475765/uk-benefits-and-tax-credits-eea-migrants.pdf Information for other periods is not available in a collated format and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

National Insurance: EEA Nationals

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the methodology and data sources set out in his Department's paper, Benefit claims by EEA nationals, published in November 2015, how many individuals recorded in government computer systems who were nationals of another EEA member country at time of registration for a national insurance number and are recorded as having arrived in 2004-05 using the earlier of arrival date and NINO registration date have registered any form of activity in the relevant systems, including payments of other tax or tax in respect of self-employment, in each year from 2005 to 2015.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Insurance Contributions: EEA Nationals

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the methodology and data sources set out in his Department's paper, Benefit claims by EEA nationals, published in November 2015, how many individuals recorded in government computer systems who were nationals of another EEA member country at time of registration for a national insurance number and are recorded as having arrived in 2004-05 using the earlier of arrival date and NINO registration date have paid national insurance contributions in each year from 2005 to 2015.

Priti Patel: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment: Disability

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to give disabled people individual and tailored support and assistance to help them gain employment.

Justin Tomlinson: We are rolling out the new Work Coach model across Jobcentre Plus, with the focus on providing support tailored to the individual.Unemployed disabled people may also receive support from a number of programmes, including: The Work Programme, which allows providers the flexibility to design an innovative and personalised approach to help participants back into sustained employment. Work Choice, which is a specialist disability employment programme that provides tailored support for disabled people who face barriers to finding and retaining work Specialist Employability Support (SES), which was launched in 2015, is a new national provision, designed to help unemployed disabled adults with the most complex needs to secure and sustain employment or self-employment.  Additionally, a disabled person who is applying for a new job or who needs support in their existing job may be eligible for Access to Work. This is a discretionary grant scheme for personalised in-work support. We are currently trialling the operation of personal budgets in Access to Work.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the effect of universal credit on the number of children in households with less than 60 per cent of median income when roll-out of universal credit is completed, and excluding potential dynamic effects on employment and earnings.

Priti Patel: This Government is committed to eliminating child poverty and transforming the life chances of the most disadvantaged children and families. We know that work is the best route out of poverty, and Universal Credit is designed to strengthen incentives for parents to move into and progress in work. Ignoring the impact that Universal Credit has on incentivising work and raising the incomes of families is inappropriate. The impact of Universal Credit cannot be considered in isolation– it is a key component of a broader strategy to move Britain to a higher wage, lower welfare, lower tax society.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment he has made of which of his Department's agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

Justin Tomlinson: Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. This would include some senior civil servants, such as ambassadors and chargés d'affaires. The Government's view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation which will be published shortly.The changes proposed under the Directive should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. The Treasury regularly raises these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate, risk-based approach when applying these measures.

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his Department's practice for staff not to action correspondence until six weeks after receipt; and if he will take steps to ensure that priority is given to correspondence remaining not actioned after four weeks.

Justin Tomlinson: Ministers aim to reply to correspondence from hon. Members within twenty working days. This also applies where officials are replying to correspondence to Ministers from members of the public.

Winter Fuel Payments

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of winter fuel payments to eligible claimants were made automatically in each of the last five years.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of those eligible claimed winter fuel payments in 2014-15.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of those eligible for winter fuel payments in 2014-15 received a letter informing them about their rights to claim this benefit.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people had retrospective claims for winter fuel payments agreed for 2013-14.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The majority of Winter Fuel Payments are made automatically from information already held by the Department. We invite claims mainly from men under 65 who meet the eligibility criteria, as the largest group not identified and paid automatically. Claims can be made up to and including 31 March and are not accepted after that date.

Personal Independence Payment: Disability Aids

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 86 of the Budget 2016, how many people in each (a) region and constituent part of the UK and (b) parliamentary constituency will be affected by changes to personal independence payments: aids and appliances.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Work and Pensions: Recruitment

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will break down the £22 million spent by his Department on recruiting presenting officers to support his Department in personal independent payment and employment and support allowance tribunals.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Unemployment: Young People

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether unemployed 18 to 21 year olds will be referred to specialist employment support providers under the Youth Obligation from 2017 if they are unemployed after one year of claiming benefits.

Priti Patel: We will be introducing the Youth Obligation for all 18-21 year olds who are claiming Universal Credit and are in the All Work Related Activity Conditionality Group from April 2017. They will receive intensive support from Day 1 of their claim. After 6 months, if they have not found employment, they will be expected to apply for an apprenticeship, a traineeship, gain work-based skills employers value, or go on a work placement to give them the skills they need to get on in work. The detailed policy design is still under development. We will make further announcements over the coming months as we develop the policy detail.

Work and Health Programme: Offenders

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to ensure the early referral of ex-offenders on day one of release onto specialist employment support provision under the proposed work and health programme from 2017.

Priti Patel: The details of the policy for referral criteria and eligibility for the Work and Health Programme are still in development and we are looking to ensure that claimants with different circumstances receive the right support at the right time.

Work Programme: Mental Health

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure that Work Programme providers are alert to the mental health needs of clients.

Priti Patel: Work Programme providers have the freedom to deliver tailored support appropriate to the individual needs of all participants. This includes participants with health conditions for whom many providers employ advisers with the relevant skills and knowledge to provide specialist support or otherwise engage specialist sub-contractors. The Department operates a robust performance management and checking regime to ensure all providers deliver the standards and performance we expect. To the end of December 2015, around 17,000 participants who were claiming Employment and Support Allowance at the time of referral and have declared a mental or behavioural disorder as their primary health condition have been supported into sustained employment through the Work Programme

Average Earnings: Young People

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the median hourly pay was for (a) all employees aged 21 to 24 and (b) full-time employees aged 21 to 24 in (i) cash terms and (ii) adjusted for inflation in each year since 2008.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Department pays monthly salaries and therefore does not record median hourly rates of pay.

Department for Work and Pensions: Tribunals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeal hearings at the (a) First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) and (b) Upper Tribunal (Administrative Chamber) his Department did not send a representative to in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether jobcentre managers are permitted to set targets for jobcentre advisers on the issuing of sanctions placed on jobseekers.

Priti Patel: There are no benchmarks or targets for the number of referrals resulting in a sanction being applied.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 30768, what the expected date was for finishing the transition to universal credit after completion of the reset in May 2013.

Priti Patel: The Department reset the Universal Credit Programme and set a new timetable. This was developed for the Strategic Outline Business Case and was then finalised as part of the Outline Business Case and Spending Review 15 process in late 2015. Parliament was kept regularly informed throughout the development of the timetable.

Universal Credit: Mental Illness

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20339, how a longstanding mental health condition is taken account of in assessing whether a claimant is eligible for an advance payment of universal credit.

Priti Patel: When a work coach assesses a claimant’s financial need they will take into account all of the claimant’s circumstances including any health conditions and any vulnerabilities. The Work Coach is trained to maintain an on-going conversation with the claimant about their financial capability and build up a relationship of trust with the claimant over time.

Ministry of Defence

European Fighter Aircraft

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 30090, what the timeline is for the procurement of a collision warning system for the Typhoon aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department remains committed to embodying a collision warning system on Typhoon as a priority. Two possible solutions are being formally assessed. Procurement timelines will be informed by this assessment and the subsequent Departmental approval process.

Jordan: Armed Forces

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel from his Department are based in Jordan.

Penny Mordaunt: The Ministry of Defence currently has a total of 49 military personnel based in Jordan.There is one defence civilian personnel post in the British Embassy Amman for which the new incumbent will be in place in July 2016.

United Nations: Peacekeeping Operations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 28161, how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are deployed to which UN agencies.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 28161, how many of the (a) military and (b) civilian personnel deployed on UN peacekeeping operations are women.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 28161, whether the numbers of civilian personnel provided in that Answer include personnel deployed by other government departments.

Penny Mordaunt: As at 17 March 2016, there are 16 serving military and six civilian women deployed on UN missions. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold the historic information sought as military personnel deployed on operations are not recorded by gender.The answer to Question 28161 did not include personnel deployed by other Government departments and was limited to those provided only by the MOD and the Stabilisation Unit. Details of civilian personnel deployed to the UN by other departments are not centrally held, nor does the MOD hold centralised records of Government employees working with UN agencies.

United Nations: Peacekeeping Operations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what UK military equipment has been deployed on UN peacekeeping operations in each of the last six years; and on what operations that equipment has been so deployed.

Penny Mordaunt: All military personnel on UN operations deploy with personal equipment. Over the last six years these have included UN operations in: Mali, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Tunisia. In addition, under the current Memorandum of Understanding with the UN for the mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP) the UK Ministry of Defence provides two ambulances and 30 sets of Public Order Equipment.

Air Force: Scotland

Steven Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 March 2016, WS605, what impact assessment his Department carried out on its decision to disband air cadet gliding squadrons in Scotland before making that decision; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that decision on future RAF recruitment.

Mr Julian Brazier: Across the UK, full consideration was given to the value of training opportunities, the revised geographic laydown and future volunteer opportunities for affected Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) personnel.Cadets from all Scottish cadet units will still have the opportunity to fly gliders, with an enlarged 661 VGS providing a regional hub. We also plan to increase Air Experience Flight fixed wing flying opportunities in Scotland in due course. The reorganisation of air cadet gliding will provide air cadets with a better overall opportunity, with the emphasis moving from air experience to flying training. It is anticipated that 661 VGS will remain at Kirknewton, although I cannot confirm this until the Ministry of Defence estate rationalisation concludes later in the year.The reduced VGS footprint will allow resources to be focused on the remaining Squadrons. This will enable more suitable infrastructure to be built and maintained that supports the Air Cadet Organisation more fully. The key development across the estate over time will be to provide new overnight accommodation and training facilities that safely allows cadets and adult instructors over full residential weekends to carry out gliding alongside flying related ground training, improving access to both activities for those that are located further from VGS sites.Volunteers at affected VGSs will be offered opportunities to fill other posts within the Air Cadet Organisation dependent upon their own transferable skills and their personal preferences.The Air Cadet Organisation as a National Youth Organisation is not designed to be a recruiting institution for the RAF however it assists in aviation awareness and a proportion of military recruits are former air cadets. The resumption of gliding will support the regrowth of Air Cadet numbers and the reorganisation of the Flying Training offer will continue to provide an enhanced opportunity to our cadets. We therefore do not foresee any change in the proportion of RAF recruits that have enjoyed the opportunities that the Air Cadet Organisation offers.

Middle East: Military Intervention

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many drone strikes have taken place against Daesh targets in (a) Iraq and (b) Syria since September 2014.

Penny Mordaunt: Between 1 September 2014 and 15 March 2016 there have been 200 Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) strikes in Iraq and 13 in Syria against Daesh targets.

USA: Military Exercises

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many direct joint training exercises with the US armed forces have been carried out in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: Each year UK Armed Forces conduct a considerable number of exercises with their US counterparts, some single service, some joint. The information requested is not held centrally, but is being compiled. I will write to the hon. Member with the information shortly.

Australia: Military Exercises

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many direct joint training exercises with the Royal Australian armed forces have been carried out in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: UK Defence benefits from considerable engagement with the Australian Armed Forces reflecting the strength of the defence relationship between the two nations. Our records show the number of direct joint training exercises that the UK has carried out with the Royal Australian Armed Forces in each of the last five years is as follows:2015-72014-82013-62012-62011-5

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to publish its consultation on the Submarine Dismantling Project: site for the interim storage of Intermediate Level radioactive Waste.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Submarine Dismantling Project Response to Consultation Report is due to be published in the middle of this year

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submissions his Department received to its consultation on the Submarine Dismantling Project: site for the interim storage of Intermediate Level radioactive Waste.

Brendan O'Hara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many submissions from local (a) residents and (b) businesses his Department received to its consultation on the Submarine Dismantling Project: site for the interim storage of Intermediate Level radioactive Waste.

Mr Philip Dunne: A total of 170 responses were received as part of the Submarine Dismantling Project Public Consultation, in respect of interim storage of Intermediate Level radioactive Waste. With the exception of 18 received from instituitions, responses were anonymous and it is not possible to differentiate between residents and businesses.

Middle East: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has established a civilian casualties tracking cell to investigate reports of alleged incidents involving RAF aeroplanes in Syria and Iraq.

Penny Mordaunt: As you know, I am committed to review all claims of civilian casualties, which we take very seriously. The Ministry of Defence has robust processes in place to review reports of alleged incidents. An assessment is carried out after every British strike; we determine the scale of the damage that has been caused and review very carefully whether there are likely to have been civilian casualties. Investigations are launched where appropriate.

France: Military Alliances

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment of the merits of the Protector drone and other current and projected UK capability requirements was made to underpin the recent £1.5 billion UK-France collaboration on a joint unmanned combat air vehicle.

Mr Philip Dunne: As part of last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of our future capability requirements including for combat air. Within this, we looked at what could be provided by current and planned capabilities including Protector. The next phase of our collaboration on Unmanned Combat Air Systems with France will mature advanced technologies to inform future acquisition choices.As part of last year's Strategic Defence and Security Review, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of our future capability requirements including for combat air. Within this, we looked at what could be provided by current and planned capabilities including Protector. The next phase of our collaboration on Unmanned Combat Air Systems with France is looking at capability need beyond Protector and so will mature advanced technologies to develop operational demonstrators.

International Law

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29390, what definition of principle of military necessity his Department uses to assess whether an incident counts as violation of international humanitarian law.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29390, what definition of principle of proportionality his Department uses to assess whether an incident counts as a violation of international humanitarian law.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29390, what definition of principle of humanity his Department uses to assess whether an incident counts as a violation of international humanitarian law.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 29390, what definition of principle of distinction his Department uses to assess whether an incident counts as a violation of international humanitarian law.

Penny Mordaunt: International Humanitarian Law is founded in customary international law but now extensively codified in international agreements, most notably the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional Protocols. The UK's interpretation of the principles of proportionality, military necessity, humanity and distinction is set out in the Ministry of Defence's Joint Service Publication (JSP) 383, the Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict, which is available online (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/jsp-383).

War Widows

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to notify war widows and widowers of support groups they can access.

Mark Lancaster: All widow(er)s of serving members of the Armed Forces are sent a letter of condolence and a comprehensive Bereavement Pack which is tailored to their family circumstances and provides full details of the support available to them.When Veterans UK are notified of the death of a Veteran the Veterans Welfare Service send a leaflet to the widow(er) detailing support groups. The Veterans Welfare Service also visit and assist in accessing further support.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to maximise the participation of service personnel in the forthcoming EU referendum; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of service personnel who will be overseas and without a relevant postal vote on 23 June 2016.

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of service personnel are (a) registered to vote and (b) registered to vote by post or proxy.

Mark Lancaster: The Department takes a number of steps each year, with assistance from the Electoral Commission, to inform Service personnel of the arrangements for electoral registration. The annual information campaign encouraging Service personnel and their families to register to vote was launched on 1 February 2016, in conjunction with the National Voter Registration Drive. We will issue an updated, separate instruction for the EU Referendum and conduct further internal communications to once again encourage Service personnel to register to vote. Registration is a personal matter and personnel are free to choose whether and, how they register to vote. Our information campaign encourages personnel to consider applying to vote by proxy if they are serving in a location where postal services may be difficult.The number of Service personnel who are registered to vote was published in the 2015 Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) Annex B, Table B22.1-3, available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/428636/20150520_afcas_15_annex_b_ref_tables.pdf The Department does not hold information on how personnel choose to cast their vote, be that in person, by post, or by proxy.

Air Cadet Organisation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the restructuring process set out in the review of the Air Cadet Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 10 March 2016, (Official Report, column WS605).A programme of works has been developed to deliver the improved infrastructure and accommodation at Volunteer Gliding Squadrons. Work also continues to align and integrate the various training courses for Air Cadets into an integrated aviation training package. In future this will be tailored to a cadet's level of experience and will cover aviation related ground training, realistic flight simulation with part-task training glider simulators, and formal gliding instruction on Volunteer Gliding Squadrons. 



Air Cadet Aviation Relaunch
(Word Document, 28.93 KB)

Air Cadet Organisation: Operating Costs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the running costs of the Air Cadet Organisation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier: Total running costs of the Air Cadet Organisation including service and civilian manpower but excluding the annual works programme and contracted services was:£23.8 million in Financial Year (FY) 2011-12£22.0 million in FY 2012-13£23.1 million in FY 2013-14£24.5 million in FY 2014-15The estimated outturn in FY 2015-16 is £25.7 million.

Air Cadet Organisation: Staff

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the number of staff it has hired to support the Air Cadet Organisation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier: The Air Cadet Organisation (ACO) is manned primarily by Cadet Force Adult Volunteer staff. The small permanently staffed Headquarters Air Cadets (HQ AC), alongside Headquarters 2 Flying Training School (HQ 2FTS) and the regional and wing formations, together have a staff of approximately 250 personnel.Glider maintenance and recovery is undertaken by contractors and it is their responsibility for the manning of the contracted work.

Air Cadet Organisation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations he has received from volunteer representatives of the Air Cadet Organisation on the review of the Air Cadet Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier: Following the Written Ministerial Statement I released on 10 March 2016, (Official Report, column WS605) concerning the Air Cadet Aviation Relaunch, we have received a range of representations from Cadet Force Adult Volunteer staff of the mainstream Air Cadets and the Volunteer Gliding Squadrons. This includes representations through their direct chain of command.



Air Cadet Aviation Relaunch
(Word Document, 28.93 KB)

Air Cadet Organisation: Assets

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the value of the assets held by the Air Cadet Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Julian Brazier: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The capitalisation threshold to be recorded on an asset register is £25,000, so assets held which do not meet that threshold will only appear on unit inventories across the entire Air Cadet Organisation

International Law: Training

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training modules are provided to armed forces personnel in international humanitarian law.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK Government acts in accordance with domestic and international law at all times and Ministry of Defence policy is assessed to ensure compliance with it.All Service personnel are provided with training on the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), including during initial basic training phases, staff and promotion courses. Personnel are required to undertake periodic LOAC training to agreed standards.Single Service LOAC training is as follows:Naval ServiceRoyal Navy Core Maritime Skill (CMS) 7 (annually). Personnel must also be familiar with Operational Detention and Use of Force in accordance with the latest published guidance.ArmyArmy Military Annual Training Test (MATT) 7. This test provides training and assessment in LOAC, investigations and accountability, captured persons (CPERS), and the use of force. All Army personnel conduct MATT 7 training Module 1 (LOAC), Module 2 (Investigations and Accountability), and Module 3 (CPERS) on an annual basis and are required to pass tests. Those who are completing initial training, and personnel that are deployable, also conduct MATT 7 training Module 4 (Use of Force) and pass a test. Deployable Service personnel must complete Module 4 on an annual basis.Royal Air Force (RAF)RAF Individual Reinforcement Training (IRT). All RAF personnel are provided with periodic LOAC training on a modular basis as determined by readiness posture. This training is complemented by other Phase 3 and Individual Pre-Deployment LOAC training provision.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what work was undertaken to modify Warthog vehicles for post-Afghan use after the 2013 decision to keep the platform; and what the cost of that work was to the public purse.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what vehicle the Royal Artillery's 32 and 47 Regiments will operate instead of the Warthog once the Bv206 has been retired.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether an export customer is being sought for the retired Warthog vehicle.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Warthog vehicle entered service in 2010 as an urgent operational requirement for use in Afghanistan. Since the end of operations in Afghanistan a range of armoured vehicles purchased specifically for operations in that theatre have been brought into the MOD's core inventory; the Warthog vehicle was not one of these. The options for disposing of the Warthog are now being considered, including the possiblity of an export route, but no decisions have been taken at this time.5 and 32 Regiments Royal Artillery will receive the Bulldog armoured vehicle as a replacement for Warthog. 47 Regiment Royal Artillery will continue to use the Coyote armoured vehicle.

Armed Forces: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what proportion the number of senior military officers ranked one star and above, and the civil service equivalent, employed by his Department, changed between 2011 and 2015.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) senior military officers and (b) civilian staff ranked one star or above or the civil service equivalent were employed by his Department (i) in each year since 2010 and (ii) on the latest date in 2016 for which figures are available.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what proportion the number of armed forces personnel and civilian staff employed by his Department changed between 2011 and 2015.

Mark Lancaster: At 1 April 2011, 38.8 per cent of Senior Personnel in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) were Senior Civil Servants (SCS) and 61.2 per cent were UK Regulars at One Star (Army Brigadier and equivalent) and above. At 1 April 2015, 39.2 per cent were SCS and 60.8 per cent were UK Regulars at One Star and above. At 1 April 2011, there were 480 UK Regular personnel ranked One Star and above; by 1 April 2015 this figure had decreased by 6.9 per cent to 450. At 1 April 2011, there were 300 SCS personnel in the MOD; by 1 April 2015 this figure had decreased by 5.3 per cent to 290. The following tables provide the requested breakdown, by year, of UK Regular Strength at One Star and above, and SCS headcount: UK Regular Strength at One Star and above1 April 20101 April 20111 April 20121 April 20131 April 20141 April 20151 Oct 2015500480470440440450440 SCS Headcount1 April 20101 April 20111 April 20121 April 20131 April 20141 April 20151 January 2016320300270280280290310  The strength of UK Regular Personnel at 1 April 2011 was 186,360. The strength of UK Regular Personnel at 1 April 2015 was 153,720. This represents a 17.5 per cent decrease between 2011 and 2015. The MOD civilian staff (CS) headcount at 1 April 2011 was around 87,000. The CS headcount at 1 April 2015 was 59,900. This represents an estimated decrease of 31.2 per cent between 2011 and 2015.

France: Honours

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications for the Legion d'Honneur have been withdrawn since July 2015 due to the death of the applicant; and what further steps his Department is taking to ensure that people nominated to receive that medal receive it as quickly as possible.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has been made aware of 37 cases from the original list of approximately 3,300 names submitted to the French authorities where the veteran had died before their case could be submitted. In addition, the French Embassy has advised us of 14 cases in which the medal has been sent out but was returned to them specifically because the individual had died.Under the terms of the arrangement with the French authorities, within which the normal timetable for processing awards has greatly reduced, the Ministry of Defence can submit 100 cases per week. Cases are normally submitted in order of their original submission to the Department; but we prioritise cases where we are notified of life-threatening or serious conditions.Since the new system began in July last year we have sent 3,150 applications to the French Embassy and it should be remembered that this alone is more cases than would normally be dealt with by the Legion d'Honneur in all categories for a whole year. The French are also receiving applications from the other Allied nations that took part in D-Day, and the overall level of applications will clearly be far higher.

Home Office

Asylum: Deportation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27391, on asylum: deportation, whether her Department plans to collect data on the number of failed asylum seekers who are admitted to prison.

James Brokenshire: Following referral by the National Offender Management Service, the Home Office conducts immigration status checks on all Foreign National Offenders serving a custodial sentence. This involves checks of electronic and paper files. Therefore the specific data requested, which would include foreign nationals on remand who are not routinely referred to the Home Office, is not aggregated in national reporting systems. To provide the information would require a disproportionately expensive manual case search.

Repatriation: EEA Nationals

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29272, how many of the 2635 EEA nationals upon whom administrative travel papers were served in 2014 have left the UK.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 10 March 2016



After an EEA national has been served with administrative removal papers, they have 30 days to leave the country. They do not have to inform us of their departure. This period is set out in the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006.Following this 30-day period, if the EEA national has not voluntarily left the UK Immigration Enforcement officers can and do forcibly remove these individuals. Out of the 2,635 EEA nationals who were served administrative removal papers in 2014 1,019 were forcibly removed.

Undocumented Workers

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employers were successfully (a) prosecuted and (b) fined for employing an illegal immigrant in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Undocumented Workers

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Border Force staff have been assigned to tackle employers of illegal immigrants in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Border Force: Patrol Craft

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many days there have been (a) five, (b) four, (c) three, (d) two, (e) one and (f) zero Border Force Cutters conducting active patrols in UK territorial waters in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electronic Surveillance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to clause 96 of the Investigatory Powers Bill, whether Immigration Officers carried out equipment interference before 1 March 2016.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Home Office: Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the value was of Official Development Assistance provided by her Department in each of the last six years; and what proportion of that assistance was subject to the International Development Act 2002.

Karen Bradley: This information has been published by the Department for International Development (DfID), as part of their Statistics on International Development.The published Official Development Assistance (ODA) figures for the Home Office are as follows:2014 £136m2013 £33m2012 £29m2011 £0m2010 £0m2009 £0mIn accordance with the International Development Act 2002, ODA eligibility of Home Office published spend was determined by DfID.

Islamic State: Propaganda

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to introduce innovative measures to tackle Daesh propaganda.

Mr John Hayes: This Government takes very seriously the need to protect vulnerable individuals from damaging propaganda disseminated by groups such as Daesh. The scale and speed with which this material can be spread online remains a challenge and a fundamental shift in the scale and nature of our response to Daesh propaganda is required.Government, the internet industry and civil society all have a role to play in combatting extremism online. Our unique model involves a close partnership with the public and industry to equip mainstream voices with the confidence and skills they need to effectively challenge extremism. We are helping to build the capacity of civil society groups to confront and challenge the ideology of extremism and terrorism. By bringing civil society groups together with communications professionals and industry experts, they are being provided with advice and support, production capabilities, public relations expertise and social media training. This work allows groups to share their alternative message more widely, and is specifically aimed at undermining Daesh propaganda.Close working with responsible social media providers has disrupted online Daesh propaganda. Since 2010 over 150,000 pieces of terrorist-related material have been removed by industry from various online platforms at the request of the dedicated police Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). Removal requests are now at over 1,000 a week and approximately 70% of CTIRU’s caseload is Daesh related.The Counter Extremism Strategy, published in October 2015, also sets out further work to uplift efforts to outmatch the scale and pace of terrorist and extremist use of the internet. As part of this we are pressing industry to take a lead in tackling the abuse of their services by terrorist and extremist groups.We are working closely with international partners to share learning and expertise in the support of positive alternative messages, and disruption of poisonous Daesh propaganda on a global scale.

Asylum: Housing

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's arrangements with local authorities for the settlement of asylum seekers.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office maintains an active partnership with local governments across the UK and funds Strategic Migration Partnerships to plan for the most appropriate voluntary agreements for the dispersal of asylum seekers, and the integration of Syrian refugees.We continue to work closely with a wide range of local authorities to increase the number of areas that accommodate and support people seeking asylum and protection – every local authority is encouraged to contribute to ensure a reasonable spread across the whole of the UK.

Domestic Violence

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (a) how much and (b) what proportion of the funding allocated to domestic violence services is specifically allocated to support children living in refuges.

Karen Bradley: The previous Government provided £40 million of dedicated funding for domestic and sexual violence services between 2011 and 2015 equating to £10 million per year. This funding was extended until April 2016, supplemented by an additional £10 million for refuges, and a £3.5 million fund to boost the provision of domestic violence services including refuges. We do not hold figures for the amount of funding which is spent on supporting children in refuges. It is for local areas to make decisions on the provision of safe accommodation, including refuges, and the support for victims of domestic abuse and their families. On 8 March, as part of our new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, we announced £80 million of dedicated funding from 2016 to 2020 which includes support for refuges and other accommodation-based services, helping local areas ensure that victims of domestic violence and their children have the support they need.

Police

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with police and crime commissioners on the relative allocation of resources for public order and security to urban and surburban areas.

Mike Penning: The allocation of resources is a matter for Police and Crime Commissioners, in consultation with their respective Chief Constables. Overall police spending is protected in real terms over the next Spending Review period, once local precept is taken into account. There is no question that the police have the resources to do their important work.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment she has made of which of her Department's agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Retail Trade: Crimes of Violence

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many shop workers were assaulted in each of the last six months for which figures are available.

Mr John Hayes: The data requested is not available broken down by month. However, the Home Office runs an annual Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) which asks business premises in different sectors about their experience of various crime types, including assaults and threats (a combined category) in the last year.In 2014, the most recent year for which figures are available, there were around 410,000 assaults and threats against businesses in the wholesale and retail sector. The 2015 figures will be published on 28th April.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also publish annual figures on the number of violent incidents in the workplace based on findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales. However, this information is not available just for shops. According to the 2013/14 crime survey, there were an estimated 583,000 incidents of violence at work, comprising 269,000 assaults and 314,000 threats. HSE will publish figures for 2014/15 on 31st March.

Domestic Violence: Charities

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will ring-fence long term funding for specialist domestic violence charities.

Karen Bradley: The Government published a new Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy on 8 March setting out an ambitious programme to make tackling VAWG everybody’s business, ensure victims and survivors get the support they need and inspire confidence in the Criminal Justice System to bring more perpetrators to justice as well as doing more to rehabilitate offenders.The strategy committed £80 million between 2016 and 2020 to protect women and girls from violence. This increased funding will help to deliver our goal to work with local commissioners to deliver a secure future for rape support centres, refuges and FGM and Forced Marriage Units, whilst driving a major change across all services which promotes early intervention and prevention including through specialist domestic violence charities.

HM Treasury

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2015 to Question 2064, on social security benefits, from what source the data was obtained; and what the cost was in 2014-15 of (a) the child benefit awards and (b) the child tax credit awards under EC Regulation 883/2004.

Damian Hinds: HMRC holds figures on the number of cases of Child Benefit paid in respect of children living in another EEA country or Switzerland. Information on the value of these claims is not held in the format requested.

Fuels: Excise Duties

Royston Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect recent reductions in fuel duty have had on economic growth.

Damian Hinds: The government recognises the link between low fuel prices and economic growth, which is why we have frozen fuel duty for the sixth year in a row.

Corporation Tax

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on corporate taxation of the OECD's report, Countering harmful tax practices more effectively, taking into account transparency and substance, published in September 2014.

Mr David Gauke: The OECD report published in September 2014 formed the basis of international discussions in the OECD Forum on Harmful Tax Practices, which lead to the publishing of the 2015 FHTP Report, chapter 4 of which creates a new international framework governing preferential intellectual property (“IP”) regimes, such as the UK Patent Box. This international framework makes the lower tax rates of preferential IP regimes dependent on, and proportional to, the research and development expenditure incurred by the claimant taxpayer in developing their IP. The UK Patent Box will be amended in line with this international framework, with the new rules coming into force on 1 July 2016. The Report also made provision for greater information exchange between tax authorities of rulings issued to individual businesses. HM Revenue and Customs is currently implementing these rules and has already begun to exchange information with other tax authorities.

Debts

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons his Department reduced the debt servicing to income ratio used as an indicator of household vulnerability and indebtedness from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.

Harriett Baldwin: In 2010 a report for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills used a debt servicing to income ratio of 25%. In subsequent annual reports up until 2013 a debt servicing to income ratio of 30% was used. It is an established convention that Minsters of one Administration cannot see the documents of a previous Administration. I am therefore unable to provide the information requested by the hon. Member.

Coal Fired Power Stations: Construction

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make representations to the National Infrastructure Commission on assessing the potential merits of building ultra-super critical coal-fired power stations in the UK.

Greg Hands: The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) will have a mandate to examine all sectors of economic infrastructure, including energy. The NIC will shortly undertake work on a National Infrastructure Assessment, which will set out the UK’s infrastructure needs for the next 10-30 years. Coal fired power stations without abatement are not consistent with meeting our decarbonisation objectives. This is why the Government has committed to consulting on phasing out unabated coal by 2025 and to restricting the amount of coal generation in 2023.

Infrastructure: Investment

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy that three per cent of GDP annually be invested in infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The government prioritises long-term investment over day-to-day expenditure, and is on course to exceed its commitment to invest £100 billion in infrastructure by 2020-21. This includes the largest programme of rail investment since Victorian times, the biggest investment in roads since the 1970s, and doubling the affordable housing budget. The Spending Review 2015 set out the government’s decision to invest £12 billion more through departmental capital budgets than was planned at Summer Budget 2015.

Bradford and Bingley

Liz McInnes: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will investigate the collapse of Bradford and Bingley plc in 2008.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government has no plans to conduct an investigation into the collapse of Bradford and Bingley plc in 2008. The National Audit Office concluded in its report of 4 December 2009 that the public support provided to UK by the Treasury was justified, given the scale of both the economic and social costs if one or more major banks had collapsed. In providing that support, moreover, the Treasury met two of the government’s principal objectives: protecting depositors’ money in banks and maintaining the stability of the financial system.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of tax revenue lost due to the illicit trade in tobacco in each year for which data is available.

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the value of the illicit tobacco trade in the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Hinds: Estimates of tax revenue losses associated with illicit tobacco are published every year. The latest estimates, for the years 2006/7 to 2014/15, are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates 2014-15’. This can be accessed via the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tobacco-tax-gap-estimates HM Revenue and Customs makes no other estimate of the value of the illicit tobacco trade.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Andy Slaughter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he made of the potential effect of the changes to personal injury law and procedure on levels of employment in the legal sector before making his announcement of such changes in the Autumn Statement; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Justice will launch a public consultation in due course on the details of the policy. This will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

Treasury: Google

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Revenue and Customs has any current contracts with Google to provide services; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not have a direct contract with Google. As with most of HMRC’s IT services, licenses for Google products are provided through its existing IT contracts and also via G-Cloud (a government framework of digital contracts). HMRC carefully selects all products and services to ensure its staff have the right tools to do the job. These tools aid collaborative working and support improved productivity.

Income Tax: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of specific deduction methods when applied to the devolution of income tax powers to Wales.

Greg Hands: The Autumn Statement announced that the Government will legislate to remove the need for a referendum to introduce Welsh Rates of Income Tax. This will happen through the Wales bill. Fiscal devolution will empower the Welsh Government with further tools and levers to deliver more growth and be more accountable to the people of Wales by raising more of the money they spend. We will continue to discuss the implementation of Welsh Rates of Income Tax – including the financial arrangements - with a range of interested stakeholders, including the Welsh Government. The Silk Commission recommended the indexed deduction put forward in the Holtham Report, and the coalition government accepted this recommendation.

Historic Buildings: Taxation

David Morris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of taxation on Heritage Maintenance Funds for historic homes across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The Government recognises the value of Heritage Maintenance Funds and the importance of the issues raised by the Historic Houses Association, including the cultural and economic contribution historic homes provide. That is why Heritage Maintenance Funds are specifically exempt from inheritance tax.

Block Grant: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the effect will be on the Scottish Government's block grant of the recent announcement of funding for Crossrail 2 for London and High Speed 3 for England.

Greg Hands: The Barnett Formula was applied in the usual way to the Department for Transport’s budget at Spending Review 2015, and will continue to be applied as set out in the Statement of Funding Policy at future Spending Reviews and other fiscal events.

Tobacco: EU Law

Hannah Bardell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult on the transposition of Articles 15 and 16 of the European Tobacco Products Directorate into UK law.

Damian Hinds: The UK is currently working with the European Commission and other Member States to agree the technical approach to be taken to implementation of these Articles. Consultation will take place once the details of the approach have been agreed at EU level.

Motor Vehicles: Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Wendy Morton: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons private cars that have been converted to LPG only receive a discount on Vehicle Excise Duty instead of being reclassified according to their new carbon dioxide emissions rating.

Damian Hinds: The government estimates that the cost of a formal laboratory test to recertify carbon dioxide (CO2) emission values for converted vehicles is in many cases greater than the lifetime VED savings that would be due to the motorist for that vehicle. It is therefore impractical to conduct such tests on a widespread basis. Instead the government offers a £10 discount to VED rates for any vehicle that has been converted to use LPG, without the need for formal laboratory retesting. Vehicles using LPG also benefit from reduced fuel duty costs relative to petrol and diesel.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Mr Charles Walker: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment he has made of (a) whether the Financial Conduct Authority and (b) which of his Department's other agencies and public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

Harriett Baldwin: Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. This would include some senior civil servants, such as ambassadors and chargés d'affaires. The Government's view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. The Government will be setting out this view in a consultation which will be published shortly. The changes proposed under the Directive should not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. The Treasury regularly raises these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate, risk-based approach when applying these measures.

Self-employed: Cardiff South and Penarth

Stephen Doughty: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people were registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed (a) wholly and (b) partly for the purposes of tax and national insurance in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 24 months.

Mr David Gauke: The latest available data for the numbers of individual taxpayers with self-employment income, by constituency level, is for 2012-13. There were estimated to be 4,000 individuals with self-employment income in Cardiff South and Penarth out of 48,000 with income from any source. These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and are taken from table 3.15 of the HM Revenue and Customs Personal Income statistics publication. The estimate for 2013-14 is due to be published on the 31st March 2016. No information on the purpose for individuals registering for Self Assessment is collected.

New Towns: Wales

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.123 of the Budget 2016, whether the (a) proposed legislation to make it easier for local authorities to work together to create new garden towns and (b) consultation on a second wave of Compulsory Purchase Order reforms will apply to Wales.

Greg Hands: Housing and planning in Wales are the responsibility of the Welsh Government.

Banks

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the notional value is of derivatives held by banks regulated by the UK authorities.

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the exposure to derivatives is of each bank holding a deposit-taking licence.

Harriett Baldwin: The Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England publishes the growth in the notional value of derivatives (see link below).http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/fsr/2015/scrdec15.xlsx This indicates that notional derivatives growth was -25.9% as of 20 November 2015. The Financial Policy’s Committee’s indicator includes all major UK banks. Individual bank derivatives exposures may also be found in their published annual reports.

Broadband: Finance

Maria Eagle: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 65 of the Budget 2016, how much he has allocated to establish the new Broadband Investment Fund in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20.

Greg Hands: At Budget 2016 the Government announced an intention to establish a Broadband Investment Fund. No decision has yet been made on the amount that will be invested. The next stage of the process will see the Government procure a fund manager to raise and manage the fund.

Nuclear Reactors

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.248 of the Budget 2016, to which Department bids to help develop the next generation of small modular reactors will be submitted.

Greg Hands: Following the announcement made at the Budget, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) launched the first phase of a competition to identify the best value small modular reactor for the UK on the 17th March. This development builds on a previous announcement, made at Autumn Statement 2015, that DECC would conduct this competition to help pave the way towards building one of the world’s first small modular reactors in the UK. The relevant documentation for the competition is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/small-modular-reactors

Taxation

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.215 of the Budget 2016, whether he plans to make additional resources available to HM Revenue and Customs to implement the comprehensive package of measures to tackle tax avoidance and evasion.

Mr David Gauke: The Government will ensure that HM Revenue and Customs has the resources it requires to implement the package of measures announced at Budget 2016 to tackle avoidance and evasion.

Local Government: Scotland

Owen Thompson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has set a deadline for implementation of a city deal for Edinburgh and South East Scotland.

Owen Thompson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he expects discussions to begin with partners in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal.

Greg Hands: The Budget formally announced the opening of discussions with local partners and the Scottish Government towards a City Deal for Edinburgh and South East Scotland. No deadline has been set for their conclusion or for implementation of a Deal, but we will work with all parties to ensure that discussions proceed at an appropriate pace for delivering the best Deal to drive economic growth in Edinburgh and South East Scotland.

Individual Savings Accounts

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the annual amount saved in ISA accounts in each income group; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: ISA statistics for the latest available tax year (2012-13) are published on the GOV.UK website.

London Stock Exchange: Deutsche Borse

Martyn Day: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed merger between the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse on London's role as a global financial centre.

Harriett Baldwin: The government is aware of the announcement by the London Stock Exchange Group and Deutsche Boerse that they have reached agreement on a merger of equals. This is a commercial transaction and subject to regulatory and other relevant approvals. The Government will not be commenting at this stage.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Hydroelectric Power

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the viability of hydro pump storage energy solutions; and what support her Department makes available to that industry.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hydroelectric Power: Scotland

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on hydro pump storage in Scotland.

Andrea Leadsom: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State met Mr. Fergus Ewing, in October last year where energy storage was discussed. This resulted in a dialogue between the two ministers discussing next steps. The dialogue has been taken forward at official-level through existing working groups such as the Low Carbon Innovation Co-ordination Group (LCICG). We are investigating the potential barriers to deployment of energy storage and possible mitigating actions. We are focussing in the first instance on removing policy and regulatory barriers. DECC plans to issue a call for evidence on a smart system routemap shortly.

Nuclear Power

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what (a) support and (b) subsidy her Department makes available for new nuclear power production.

Andrea Leadsom: Our electricity market reforms have set the right conditions for necessary investment in our energy market, and support low-carbon generation in nuclear as well as in other generating sectors through Contracts for Difference.

North Sea Oil: Loans

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent assessment she has made of the availability of bank loans for oil exploration companies which operate in the North Sea.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coal fired Power Stations

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to her speech of 18 November 2015, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, when her Department plans to publish the terms of reference and timescales for the consultation on closing all unabated coal-fired power stations.

Andrea Leadsom: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in her speech that the Department will be launching a consultation in the spring, and that remains the intention.

Cabinet Office

Floods: Emergency Services

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has had with (a) the Home Department, (b) the Department of Health and (c) telephone companies about the potential vulnerability to flooding of the emergency services communication lines.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The vulnerability of communications, including those used by emergency services, to flooding is part of the National Flood Resilience Review, alongside the vulnerability of other utilities and public services. This review, led by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is wide ranging, involving conversations with multiple government departments, including the Home Office and Department of Health as well as infrastructure operators. A report on progress is scheduled to be published in the summer.

National Flood Resilience Review

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the membership of the National Flood Resilience Review team is.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the National Flood Resilience Review met; what the dates are for future meetings of that review; and if he will publish the (a) agendas for and (b) minutes of meetings of that review.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The National Flood Resilience Review Group meets regularly to review progress of the review. We do not comment on specific date, nor do we publish agendas or minutesThe National Floods Resilience Review Group is chaired by Oliver Letwin and consists of Ministers and senior officials from relevant departments, including Defra, DECC, DfT, DCLG, HMT, DCMS, the Environment Agency and the Met Office.

Electoral Register

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to investigate the reasons for changes in the level of electoral registration in each local authority.

John Penrose: The Electoral Commission is expected to publish its assessment of the completeness and accuracy of the first full electoral registers under IER this summer. We expect this will provide a breakdown for England, Scotland and Wales but not for each local authority.

Electoral Register

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department has collected from electoral registration officers on the number of names removed from electoral registers in each local authority for each permissible reason in each of the last five years.

John Penrose: The Electoral Commission recently published its report on the state of the December 2015 electoral registers. It is available here: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/197516/IER-Assessment-December-2015-registers.pdfThe report uses the best data available and outlines the changes to the register, including deletions, between December 2014 and December 2015 and the reasons for those changes. The report also explains that the data collection was a joint exercise between the Electoral Commission, the Cabinet Office, Electoral Registration Officers and electoral management software suppliers.Previous reports for additional years, when the Cabinet Office was not involved in data collection, can be accessed here: http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/performance-standards/performance-in-running-electoral-registration.

Lobbying

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of science and research and charity organisations on the potential effect of including anti-lobbying clauses in grant agreements.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

10 Downing Street: Gardens

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the staff who manage the gardens within the Downing Street estate are employed as civil servants; whether such staff are enrolled under the civil service pension scheme; and under what terms and conditions such staff are employed with what pension entitlement.

Matthew Hancock: The staff who manage the gardens within the Downing Street estate are not civil servants. The Royal Parks agency are contracted to manage and maintain the gardens in Downing Street.

Departmental Coordination

David Mackintosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) recent steps he has taken and (b) mechanisms he has introduced to increase the efficiency of work between government departments.

Matthew Hancock: Improving efficiency, both across Government and between government departments, is central to the work of the Cabinet Office. By 2014/15 the Government had saved £18.6 billion through efficiency and reform, and tackling fraud, error and uncollected debt (against a 2009/10 baseline). This includes saving:£6.1bn by improving how government buys goods, and services.Generating £1.8bn net capital receipts and saving £750 million from reducing the annual running cost of the estate.£4.6bn by addressing waste and inefficiency in construction and reducing costs in major projects.£700m through reducing losses from fraud and error.In autumn 2015 the Spending Review announced a range of additional measures to further improve effect and joint working between departments. These include co-locating Civil Servants though the Government Hubs programme, and introducing shared ICT though Common Technology Services and the Common Platforms Programme.

Corruption

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what work the Anti-Corruption Champion has undertaken for his Department.

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what costs the Government's Anti-Corruption Champion has incurred to date.

Matthew Hancock: Any costs incurred by the Anti-Corruption Champion in his role in overseeing the government's work to address corruption in the UK and internationally, will be disclosed in the normal way. These are met by the Cabinet Office. In addition, staff support is provided from within the existing civil service workforce.The Anti-Corruption Champion is overseeing the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Plan. This includes meeting with Ministers and officials from other government departments, as well as representatives from civil society and business, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and overseas, to champion UK anti-corruption policy.

Elections: Fraud

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects the report on electoral fraud by the Government's Anti-Corruption Champion to be published.

John Penrose: Sir Eric Pickles will make his recommendations as soon as he is able. 66 written submissions are under consideration, as well as evidence provided in meetings with specific people and at a seminar of academics, stakeholder organisations and political parties.

Civil Servants: Apprentices

Louise Haigh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of civil service apprentices who have been appointed to date is (a) over the age of 25 and (b) paid at the rate of the national living wage.

Matthew Hancock: Information requested is not held centrally. Pay below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to Departments and agencies.

Public Bodies: Procurement

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on local democracy of changes to regulations to discourage public authorities from making procurement and investment decisions on ethical grounds.

Matthew Hancock: The guidance we issued on 17 February reminds public authorities of their existing international obligations when letting public contracts. It makes clear that boycotts in public procurement are inappropriate, outside where formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been put in place by the Government:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-policy-note-0116-complying-with-international-obligationsThe Department for Communities and Local Government is currently working to give effect to the recent announcement on Local Government Pension Scheme funds’ investment allocations, specifically the extent to which administering authorities should have regard to non-financial factors.

Government Departments: Iron and Steel

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) domestically produced and (b) imported steel that was procured by each government department in each year since 2010.

Matthew Hancock: This information is not held centrally.All departments are now required to implement the new guidelines, published on 30 October last year, which set out how government buyers should source steel for major projects so that the true value of UK steel is taken into account in major procurement decisions.

Government Contracts

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many bidders for central government contracts have been debarred in accordance with the promoting tax compliance and procurement rules introduced in 2013.

Matthew Hancock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley on 22 February to UIN: 26788.

Haematological Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were diagnosed with blood cancer in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Blood Cancer Diagnosis
(PDF Document, 115.96 KB)

Breast Cancer: Males

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many men were diagnosed with breast cancer in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Breast Cancer Diagnosis
(PDF Document, 69.82 KB)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Dogs: Imports

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs brought into the UK under the Pet Travel Scheme have been (a) seized and (b) put through quarantine in each year since 2012.

George Eustice: The Pet Travel Scheme covers pet dogs, cats and ferrets. There are separate rules for the commercial importation of these animals; for example for sale or rehoming. Any dog, cat or ferret identified as being non-compliant with either Pet Travel Scheme or commercial rules to enter the UK will be placed into quarantine. We hold data on illegally landed animals for the three previous years and do not record the species involved or whether the quarantined animals were a pet travel or commercial movement. The numbers of dogs, cats and ferrets quarantined were 461 in 2013, 498 in 2014 and 609 in 2015.

Sewers: Rain

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to require utilities companies, highways authorities and developers to ensure that new drainage and sewerage systems have sufficient capacity to accommodate the rainfall volume experienced on 26 December 2015.

Rory Stewart: In March, the Government published ‘Enabling resilience in the water sector’ (see: www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-sector-improving-long-term-resilience) which sets out our expectation that sewerage companies will show leadership in working with the wide range of actors with an impact on drainage systems to assess future pressures and will undertake the necessary long-term planning and investment to meet their duties.Under section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, a sewerage company has a duty to provide a sewerage service so as to effectually drain its area. This duty does not mean that sewerage companies must prevent sewer flooding in all circumstances as it would not be practicable to build sewers to a capacity necessary to cope with the additional load of extreme rainfall events.Working in partnership with other risk management authorities, water companies also have a wider role to play in flood risk management including helping manage the risks associated with very heavy rainfall and flash flooding. They must exercise their flood risk management functions in a way which is consistent with national and local flood risk management strategies.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Fines

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much the Department has paid in fines to the EU since 2010.

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has paid in fines to the EU as a result of the Common Agricultural Policy since 2010.

George Eustice: As from financial year 2010/11 Defra has accrued £336m for disallowance following the conclusion of EU audits, broken down by financial year as shown in the table below. This relates to a number of different Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Schemes over a number of historical scheme years as disallowance is paid in arrears. These are the only fines that have been imposed on Defra by the EU since 2010. Disallowance (*) £m10/1111/1212/1313/1414/151814223081  (*) Reflects the sums the European Commission have ruled cannot be reimbursed (i.e. the amounts they have “disallowed”).

Dogs: Disease Control

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) prevent the spread of the outbreak of canine babesiosis and (b) deter the impact from mainland Europe of infected animals carrying tick-borne viruses.

George Eustice: Experts at the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Public Health England (PHE) are working together to investigate the locally acquired cases of canine babesiosis in Essex. Environmental tick control through vegetation management can be difficult to achieve and the use of acaricides in the environment is prohibited. The most effective control is for owners to treat dogs promptly for ticks. Ticks are associated with a range of vertebrate hosts, including livestock, wildlife and wild birds, so we cannot prevent all these routes of entry. In addition, several UK species of tick are capable of transmitting various diseases which like Babesia canis are also not notifiable. Livestock and horses imported from mainland Europe are certified to be healthy and should therefore be free of ticks and we recommend that people treat pet dogs with an appropriate treatment that kills ticks as soon as they attach, prior to bringing them from Europe.

Dogs: Disease Control

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of potential benefits of re-introduction of tick treatment as a requirement for the importation of dogs from mainland Europe into the UK under the Pet Passport scheme.

George Eustice: The requirement for tick treatment was dropped as part of the harmonisation of the EU pet travel rules for movement and import of non-commercial dogs following a qualitative risk assessment and economic impact assessment for the introduction of Mediterranean Spotted fever (MSF) and the Brown Dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus.

Department of Health

Cancer: Drugs

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will publish a patient-friendly guide to inform responses to the consultation on proposals for a new Cancer Drugs Fund.

George Freeman: NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) consultation on draft proposals on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund closed on 11 February 2016. The NHS England Board agreed a way forward, on 25 February 2016, which will see the new arrangements for the Fund going live on 1 July 2016. NHS England and NICE adopted a number of different approaches to engage with audiences. This included holding four webinars for stakeholders and two face-to-face events in London and Manchester alongside a number of individual meetings with key stakeholder groups including patient organisations and cancer charities. NHS England has advised that it will publish a consultation report on its website in due course. Further information is available at: www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/cdf-consultation

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust: Pensions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking in response to the Oxleas Plus supplement option for pensions offered by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.

Alistair Burt: National Health Service organisations have the freedom to make changes to the reward offer they make to staff; having regard to the legal framework. The NHS Pension Board has referred Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust to the Pensions Regulator (TPR) even though TPR has already found the option for pensions offered by the Trust was not an inducement and therefore not a breach of law. However, the NHS Pension Board concluded that there was additional information, which may not have been considered in relation to the earlier referral, and that given the potential wider implications of this issue, a further in-depth investigation by TPR was merited. The NHS Pension Board is awaiting TPR’s decision. The Secretary of State for Health will consider any subsequent advice from the NHS Pension Board.

Health Services

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the contracting out of healthcare provision to the private and charity sector does not lead to fragmentation or waste in NHS provision.

Ben Gummer: Our position on who should provide services is taken to ensure patients receive the best possible services and outcomes. These decisions are taken by the local clinical commissioning groups, which are clinically led and therefore best placed to act for the benefit of their patients. Competition for quality, on the basis of fixed national tariffs, is one of a number of tools available to commissioners to drive greater integration in healthcare provision across the National Health Service.

Stem Cells: Donors

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase stem cell donations from the 16 to 30 age group.

Jane Ellison: Since 2010, the Department has provided £19 million funding to improve the provision of stem cells in the United Kingdom. As part of this investment, the Department has supported the work of our delivery partners, NHS Blood and Transplant and the charity Anthony Nolan, to recruit young male donors, who are approximately 10 times more likely to be asked to donate. The cohort of young male donors, known as the Fit Panel, currently has 66,365 registered donors. Funding from the Department in the current financial year is supporting the recruitment further 20,000 young male donors.

Influenza

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK has made adequate provision for pandemic influenza.

Jane Ellison: The United Kingdom is acknowledged by the World Health Organization as being amongst the leaders worldwide in preparing for an influenza pandemic. The UK adopts a “defence in depth” approach to pandemic planning, as outlined in the UK Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Strategy 2011, holding stockpiles of medical countermeasures, including antiviral medicines and antibiotics, to be used in the event of a future pandemic. The Government will be conducting a national exercise later this year to test UK pandemic influenza preparedness arrangements.The UK supports international efforts to detect the emergence of a pandemic and early assessment of the virus, by sharing scientific information and regularly reviewing research and development needs to enhance pandemic preparedness. Plans to respond to an influenza pandemic are continually reviewed in the light of available scientific evidence.

Human Papillomavirus: Children

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of treating children born with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison: The information is not held centrally.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what international comparisons his Department is drawing on to inform implementation of a gender-neutral HPV vaccination programme.

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the expert committee that advises Ministers on immunisation related issues, is currently considering whether a human papillomavirus vaccination programme for boys, in addition to that in place for girls, would be cost-effective. The JCVI considers evidence from a range of sources including published data and experiences in other countries. It is important to note that other epidemiological circumstances and situations in other countries may differ and may therefore not transfer to the United Kingdom. The advice of the JCVI is made with reference to the UK immunisation programme.

Arthritis

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the findings of the First Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, on the proportion of patients in England and Wales referred within three working days of their GP appointment, what steps he is taking to improve the referral rate from GPs when inflammatory arthritis is suspected.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the implications for his policies are of the findings of the Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis on treatment targets in England and Wales for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to introduce early inflammatory arthritis clinics throughout the country.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with suspected inflammatory arthritis have their first specialist appointment within the three weeks recommended by NICE.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the findings of the Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, on timely access to patient education, what steps he is taking to provide patients with rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis self-education and self-management tools.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the findings of the Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, on links between waiting times and consultant numbers, what steps he is taking to increase the number of consultant rheumatologists.

Jane Ellison: National Clinical Audits are commissioned and managed on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). Audits help drive improvement by providing local trusts with individual benchmarked reports on their performance against a range of measures, feeding back comparative findings to help participants identify necessary improvements for patientsThe first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis was published on 22 January 2016. The report identifies that although most services offer prompt educational support and agree targets for treatment with their patients, performance against criteria for referral and assessment could be improved. Since the audit, HQIP has reported that a number of trusts have successfully reconfigured their services in order to improve patient care. More information can be found at the following link:www.hqip.org.uk/national-programmes/a-z-of-nca/arthritis-rheumatoid-and-early-inflammatoryTo help clinicians to identify the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and make prompt referrals to specialists, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published Rheumatoid arthritis: The management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults, in 2009. This best practice guideline sets out the signs and symptoms of the disease and emphasises the need for early diagnosis with urgent referral to a specialist rheumatologist on suspicion of RA. For those diagnosed with the condition, the guidance also recommends they should be offered the opportunity to take part in educational activities, including self-management programmes.The NICE RA quality standard (QS), published in 2013, is based on the NICE guideline, and one of the seven quality statements recommends that people with suspected RA are assessed in a rheumatology service within three weeks of referral. However, whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to these standards in planning and delivering services, they do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory.Regarding the establishment of early arthritis clinics, the configuration of services, including decisions to such arthritis clinics, is a matter for the local National Health Service.The latest monthly workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre showed that, as of November 2015, there were 563 full time equivalent rheumatology consultants employed in the NHS. This is an increase of 119 (26.8%) since May 2010. The recruitment and retention of staff is matter for local NHS services.

Autism: North West

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children have been diagnosed with autism in (a) Burnley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the last six years.

Alistair Burt: This data is not collected centrally.

Rheumatology

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, what plans his Department has to introduce national measurements for rheumatology services for commissioners and NHS England to inform service design and funding.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, what plans his Department has to improve systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from NHS outpatient clinics which will also enable coordinated patient-centred care.

Jane Ellison: National Clinical Audits are commissioned and managed on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis was published on 22 January 2016. The report identifies that although most services offer prompt educational support and agree targets for treatment with their patients, performance against criteria for referral and assessment could be improved. Since the audit, HQIP has reported that a number of trusts have successfully reconfigured their services in order to improve patient care. In terms of plans to introduce national measurements for rheumatology services, NHS England’s National Indicators Group is reviewing service level metrics that could provide commissioners with assurance in this area. NHS England will also review whether a new best practice tariff in rheumatoid arthritis could be developed, subject to suitable data being available. The Department is currently taking a number of steps to improve the systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from National Health Service outpatient clinics. For example, where trusts have identified local requirements for improving the capture of information, including for outpatient data, funds have been made available for improved electronic systems through the Integrated Digital Care Fund and the South Local Clinical Systems Programmes. This includes for improvements to patient administration, patient records, and document management systems which will help the recording and accessing of data at the point of care. Going forward, through the work of the National Information Board, the Department is taking the following steps to improve the systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from NHS outpatient clinics: - supporting providers to implement technology systems further in outpatient departments where they do not already exist, to collect better data and become paper free at the point of care. £1.4 billion of the recently announced investment of £4.2 billion in NHS technology over the next five years is intended for this purpose;- examining the potential to move outpatient departments to capture activity in a standardised terminology (SNOMED CT) so it may be available elsewhere in the hospital and to support reporting and clinical audit. SNOMED CT includes representation of codes pertaining to rheumatoid and inflammatory arthritis that are generally well-developed; and- In 2017/18, expanding the a current programme of work which is looking information exchange for inpatient transfers, to cover other care domains including the exchange of outpatient information between acute trusts and patients’ general practitioners.

Autism: Lancashire

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is from referral for an autism diagnosis in Lancashire.

Alistair Burt: This data is not collected centrally.

Autism: Yorkshire and the Humber

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in (a) Leeds and (b) Yorkshire have been diagnosed with autism.

Alistair Burt: This data is not collected centrally.

Formaldehyde

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the NHS has made of the potential health risks of exposure to formaldehyde used in the manufacture of everyday products.

Jane Ellison: Consumer products are subject to the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 which demands that "No producer shall supply or place a consumer product on the market unless the product is a safe product.”The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) applies in the workplace when hazardous substances are manufactured, used or where processes are undertaken that generate hazardous substances. COSHH requires the employer to carry out a risk assessment to establish what, if any, hazards are associated with products/processes employees are using/undertaking and then put measures in place to control exposure to those hazards.

Smoking: Beaches

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from local authorities in England on prohibiting smoking on beaches; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: The Department has received no representations from local authorities on prohibiting smoking on beaches. The Government has no current plans to extend smokefree legislation to open public areas.

Learning Disability: Community Care

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of long-term funding arrangements for the transformation of inpatient care for people with learning disabilities to community care settings.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the availability of sufficient long-term funding for the delivery of the commitments in NHS England's Transforming Care programme.

Alistair Burt: In the national service model and Building the right support published in October 2015 NHS England, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services set out how areas would be supported to deliver lasting change to people with a learning disability and/or autism who display behaviour that challenges. To develop community capacity, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), local authorities and NHS England’s specialised commissioners have formed 48 transforming care partnerships (TCPs) to plan for the future. TCPs have been asked to use the total sum of money they spend as a whole system on people with a learning disability and/or autism to deliver care in a different way to achieve better results. This includes shifting money from some services (such as inpatient care) into others (such as community health services including mental health services or individual packages of support). The costs of the future model of care will therefore be met from the total current envelope of spend on health and social care services for people with a learning disability and/or autism. During a phase of transition, commissioners will need to invest in new community support before closing inpatient provision. To support them to do this NHS England will make available up to £30 million of transformation funding over three years, to be matched by CCGs, and £15 million in capital funding. This funding is in addition to the £10 million made available to six fast track areas in 2015/16.

Learning Disability: Nurses

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the skills of nurses relating to treatment of people with learning disabilities.

Ben Gummer: It is the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified nurses are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This includes training in awareness of learning disabilities.Higher Education Institutions are responsible for ensuring the programmes they provide allow healthcare students to meet the outcomes set out by the NMC upon graduation.Health Education England (HEE) has been working with NHS England and other national partners to set out a far-reaching plan to transform services for people with a learning disability, to make significant and lasting improvements to their care and lives. At present, this is particularly focused on supporting the transforming care programme and scaling and spreading the lessons learnt from engagement with fast-track sites.The Department has commissioned Skills for Health, Skills for Care and HEE to develop a Learning Disabilities Core Skills Education and Training Framework which will be launched in May and is aimed at all health and social care workers who have not received training in learning disabilities, especially those nurses from other fields of nursing such as adult, children and mental health nurses.

Learning Disability: Nurses

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations in the Royal College of Nursing's report, Connect for Change: an update on learning disability services in England, published in February 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) is working with NHS England and other national partners to set out a far-reaching plan to transform services for people with a learning disability, to make significant and lasting improvements to their care and lives. This work is currently focused on supporting the transforming care programme and spreading the lessons learnt from engagement with fast-track sites.HEE is predicting an increase of between an additional 1,126 and 1,778 whole time equivalent (WTE), learning disability nurses by 2020 being available to the National Health Service. The range between these figures is the uncertainty over employer’s ability to retain the current workforce. Both of these figures are in addition to the baseline 3,904 WTEs working in the NHS, resulting in a forecast supply of between 5,030 and 5,682 WTEs by 2020. This is in excess of the forecasts made by NHS employers as to the number they believe they will need and therefore could meet demand from other sectors.The Department commissioned Skills for Health, Skills for Care and HEE to develop a Learning Disabilities Core Skills Education and Training Framework, which will be launched in May and is aimed at all health and social care workers who have not received training in learning disabilities, especially those nurses from other fields of nursing such as adult, children and mental health nurses.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken to be diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease.

Jane Ellison: Information concerning the average length of time taken to be diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease is not collected.

Learning Disability

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to develop a long-term workforce strategy for learning disabilities.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) was established to deliver a better healthcare workforce for England and using all available data is accountable for ensuring that we have a National Health Service workforce in the right numbers, with the right skills, values and behaviours to respond to the current and future needs of patients.HEE has been working with Skills for Care, Skills for Health and national transforming care partners to deliver a comprehensive workforce strategy to transform services for people with a learning disability, autism and/or behaviour that challenges to make a significant and lasting improvement to their care and lives.HEE has developed and made available a number of enabling tools and resources that can be utilised throughout Transforming Care Partnership including:- a Learning Disability Skills and Competency Framework which adopts a competency based approach to workforce planning and development;- a series of role templates to support the development of community and enhanced community teams; and- HEE Learning Disability Expert Reference Group Chaired by Baroness Hollins is exploring the career framework opportunities within health and social care for the development of new roles and education and training pathway.

Healthwatch England: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding was allocated to Heathwatch England in each of the last three years; and how much such funding will be allocated in 2016-17 in cash terms and real terms.

Ben Gummer: Healthwatch England was allocated £4.083 million in 2013/14, £4.157 million in 2014/15, and £4.5 million in 2015/16. The figures are a combination of funding for core running costs and additional non-recurrent funding. A final allocation for 2016/17 is yet to be finalised.

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has issued guidance to GP practices on waiting times for patients seeking telephone consultation appointments.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department has issued on the length of time a patient should expect to wait between a telephone consultation taking place and being given an appointment to see their GP.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department permits GP practices to require patients to have a telephone consultation prior to seeing a GP.

Alistair Burt: There is no central guidance to general practitioner (GP) practices on waiting times for telephone consultations. GPs can conduct telephone consultations with patients if they feel it is appropriate to do so. This could remove the need for the patient to go on to have a face to face consultation, however, it is for the GP to use his or her clinical judgement to decide if and when a face to face consultation should take place, and for the patient to decide if they wish to attend. This Government is committed to improving access to GP consultations and the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund encourages practices in the schemes to use innovative methods to provide appointments to patients.

Gastrointestinal System

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the current referral waiting time for gastroenterology is in each clinical commissioning group area.

Jane Ellison: Information on the average waiting times in each clinical commissioning group for patients still waiting to start treatment in gastroenterology at the end of January 2016 is published by NHS England and is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2015-16/#Jan16 See incomplete commissioner Jan16 spreadsheet, Referral to Treatment Waiting Times by clinical commissioning group are found under the ‘commissioner’ tab.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Surgery

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of trends in waiting times for elective surgery for people with inflammatory bowel disease.

Jane Ellison: Inflammatory bowel disease is not uniquely identified in the International Classification of Diseases and therefore it is not possible to specifically identify waiting times for people with this condition.

Social Workers: Training

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on maintaining the social work bursary; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Government is committed to ensuring a good supply of high quality social workers. This ambition will be achieved through a range of different training initiatives. There is room for standards of training and the quality of intake to be improved, however, no final decision has been taken on the future of the social work bursary. Any changes would be subject to public consultation.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children up to the age of four received the meningitis B vaccination in (a) Lancashire and (b) the UK in 2015.

Jane Ellison: The Meningitis B (MenB) immunisation for infants was introduced on 1 September 2015.The vaccine is offered alongside other routine immunisations at two and four months of age, with a booster dose at 12-13 months. A limited one-off catch-up programme was also offered, targeting infants born in May and June 2015. Information on the number of children who received the meningitis B vaccination as part of National Health Service programme in 2015 is not yet available.Coverage of vaccines offered in the routine childhood immunisation programme is usually evaluated at 12 months of age, however, in order to provide more timely information about the newly introduced MenB vaccine, a temporary sentinel surveillance programme was set up to extract monthly coverage data direct from general practice systems for children who had just reached six months of age in England. Preliminary vaccine coverage at six months of age for children born in May, June and July 2015 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake. It is anticipated that coverage for both doses of vaccine will increase when evaluated again when they are 12 months of age.

Social Workers: Training

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to announce details of the 2016-17 social work bursary.

Alistair Burt: The Department plans to publish details of the number of new social work bursaries that will be available in the 2016 academic year, by the end of May 2016. This will include details of the number of new bursaries allocated to each Higher Education Institute for both undergraduates and postgraduates.

Junior Doctors: Training

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the proposed 3,000 new junior doctors to be recruited to the NHS will be trained in the UK.

Ben Gummer: The Department does not recognise the figure cited by the hon. Member.Health Education England is responsible for providing leadership for the education and training system. It ensures that the shape and skills of the future health and public health workforce evolve to sustain high quality outcomes for patients in the face of demographic and technological change. Its remit is to ensure that the workforce has the right skills, behaviours and training, and is available in the right numbers to support the delivery of excellent healthcare and drive improvements.

Neuromuscular Disorders: Medical Equipment

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with neuromuscular conditions who require a cough assist machine have access to a machine commissioned by their clinical commissioning group.

Ben Gummer: NHS England has been working with Muscular Dystrophy UK through the Bridging the Gap project to address areas of concern raised by patients and their representatives, one of which is the provision of cough assist machines for people with neuromuscular conditions.   Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning and funding cough assist machines, where appropriate. A number of CGGs have now developed commissioning policies for these devices based on one developed by Walsall CCG, which has been shared nationally as an example of good practice by Muscular Dystrophy UK.

Hearing Impairment: Screening

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to implement an adult hearing screening programme; and if he will recommend to the National Screening Committee that it undertakes a public health campaign on deafness and hearing loss.

Alistair Burt: The UK National Screening Committee recommended in 2015 that screening for hearing loss in adults should not be offered because: - although hearing loss in older adults is a serious public health problem the evidence is too limited to establish the type of screening test to be used, the severity of hearing loss to target, the age of the population to be screened and the frequency of screening;- uncertainty on the effectiveness of the long term use of hearing aids and on the effectiveness of additional interventions aimed at improving the duration of hearing aid use; and- the absence of randomised controlled trials of screening in the general population. Screening has not been shown to provide any hearing related improvement in quality of life in comparison to hearing loss identified in other ways. There are currently no plans by Public Health England to run an awareness campaign on adult hearing loss.

Mental Health Services: Databases

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the data in the Mental Health Services Data Set for adults are grouped together under clusters which do not align with NICE guidelines.

Alistair Burt: The clusters in which the data are grouped reflect the mental health clusters which are the mandated currencies for mental health services. These reflect groupings of service users with similar levels of need, and whose care will cost on average a similar amount. For the purposes of payment, Health and Social Care Information Centre reports by cluster are required.

Community Nurses: Training

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance NHS England provides on training district nurses in inserting nasogastric feeding tubes.

Ben Gummer: NHS England has not provided any specific guidance on training district nurses on the insertion of nasogastric tubes.The “Framework for commissioning community nursing”, published by NHS England, states that providers of community nursing should “ensure staff achieve the competencies to deliver the service”. This is to provide a quality service for the population. The Framework is available at:www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Framework-for-commissioning-community-nursing.pdfNHS England would expect providers to take account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines Nutrition support in adults: Oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, published in February 2006 and available at:www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32These provide guidance for patients that require nutrition support, including patients receiving home enteral (tube) feeding. The guidelines recommends that all healthcare professionals who are directly involved in patient care should receive education and training, relevant to their post, on the importance of providing adequate nutrition.NICE has published a Medtech innovation briefings advice in January 2016, on the CORTRAK 2 Enteral Access System for placing enteral feeding tubes, available at:https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib48The advice aims to improve the accuracy of enteral feeding tube placement to help lower the risk of complications associated with the procedure.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding his Department has provided for apps and digital tools to support young people's mental health in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: The Department does not break down its funding data to this level so an overall funding total invested on apps and digital tools for young people over each of the five years cannot be provided.However, the hon. Member may be interested in some of the digital projects we have supported financially in recent years:- MindEdThe Department has invested a total of £3 million to develop the MindEd e-portal, which provides free training on children and young people’s mental health to all professionals who work with children. The portal was launched in March 2014 and its ongoing maintenance is funded by Health Education England.In 2015, the Department for Education agreed to invest a further £560,000 to expand MindEd with new resources aimed at parents and carers in particular. MindEd for Families will launch in April 2016.In 2015/16 the Department of Health also invested an additional £19,000 to develop a new section on MindEd focusing on the digital world, which launched in March 2016.- YouthNet online mental health and wellbeing support for young adultsThis project supported 100,000 young adults with online mental health and emotional wellbeing advice. We awarded YouthNet £257,675 in total: £79,796 in 2010-11, £85,129 in 2011-12 and £92,750 in 2012-13.- IncludeME!This interactive portal allows children and young people using mental health services to become active participants in their care, personalise their treatment packages, make informed decisions about forms of treatment and choices of providers and to jointly review with their clinicians their progress and preferences using online patient-reported outcomes and experience measures. We awarded the Anna Freud Centre £651,555 in total: £231,623 in 2013-14, £232,229 in 2014-15 and £187,703 in 2015-16.- CAMHS Open Outreach PlatformYoung people have told us that there is already a plethora of digital apps and tools out there, and have called for Government to invest in an evaluation system so they know which work, rather than spending funds duplicating existing resources.Therefore in 2015/16 we awarded a total £1 million to the Child and Mental Health Services Open Outreach Platform (CO-OP), a single digital platform, accessed from National Health Service systems and from patients’ own devices, that includes mental health and wellbeing apps that have been clinically assessed by the Anna Freud Centre, along with digitised versions of clinically-necessary questionnaires, and an updated version of IncludeME! which is fully accessible on mobile and tablet devices.- HEE Innovation FundIn 2015/16 Health Education England ran an Innovation Fund for children and young people’s mental health. A number of successful projects have a digital aspect:- Streetwise received £50,504 for ‘Digital Therapy Bytes’: digital and online IT self-help for young people struggling from mental health issues.- The Apperta Foundation, Code4Health and Open Source NHS England received £65,000 for ‘Safety in Your Pocket’, a mobile app aimed at improving the personal safety management of young people by giving them access to interactive safety management plans, as a tool to prevent self-harm.- Youth Access received £158,365 for ‘Digitalk’, a white-label digital platform to host online counselling services provided by Youth Information, Advice and Counselling Services (YIACS) across the country, building on existing best practice.- Disability Matters The Department provided over half a million pounds for the development of Disability Matters, which launched in 2015. This is a free-e-learning resource for anyone working to support people with a disability, special educational need, or other complex needs, which can include mental health issues.

Care Homes: North West

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of provision of double rooms for married couples in care homes (a) in the North West and (b) UK; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) collects data on numbers of registered care and nursing homes in England, together with numbers of registered places within those homes, as part of its registration and regulation activity.We are informed by the CQC that it does not collect data on whether places in homes are provided in single or shared rooms.Neither the CQC nor the Department collects data on care and nursing homes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is a matter for the devolved administrations.

Care Homes: North West

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) nursing homes and (b) dual registered nursing homes there were in the North West of England in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information. Number of active nursing homes1 in the North West region at end of 2012, 2013 and 2014 fiscal yearsDateCare homes with nursing service type onlyCare homes with nursing service type and other service typesTotal care home service with nursing locations31 March 20135667964531 March 20145687564331 March 201557077647 1Nursing homes are defined as “care homes with nursing service type only”. Dual registered nursing homes are defined as “care homes with nursing service type and other service types”. Source: CQC database as at 7 April 2015 Note: Service types can change over time. The numbers provided are based on the service type(s) of the location as at April 2015 or date the location de-activated if inactive as at April 2015.  Local authorities in the North West Region: Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bury, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cumbria, Halton, Knowsley, Lancashire, Liverpool, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Sefton, St. Helens, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Warrington, Wigan and Wirral.

Local Authorities: Health

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authority spending on public health.

Jane Ellison: The public health system is locally led with local authorities having the statutory responsibility to improve the health of their population. They receive a public health grant from Public Health England (PHE) to support them with this.While responsibility for the performance and the effectiveness of public health is a local one, nationally a Public Health Outcomes Framework has been developed to provide a measure of this effectiveness and PHE has developed a range of tools to allow transparent benchmarking of performance.PHE has also developed an assurance framework, ratified by the National Audit Office, for ensuring compliance by all local authorities with the terms of the public health grant.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV is on the list of drugs being referred to NHS England's Clinical Priorities Advisory Group for decision.

Jane Ellison: NHS England does not now consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV is suitable for prioritisation of specialised commissioning spend as it is a preventative measure. However given the potential benefits in this area, NHS England wants to build on the work to date and will be making available up to £2 million over the next two years to run a number of early implementer test sites. These will be undertaken in conjunction with Public Health England and will seek to answer the remaining questions around how PrEP could be commissioned in the most cost effective and integrated way to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections in those at highest risk.

Motor Vehicles: Smoking

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people caught smoking in cars with children present receive a fixed penalty notice and their fine collected.

Jane Ellison: In changing the law we always said the measure of success would be in changes in attitude and behaviour. As with other smokefree legislation, we expect high levels of compliance with this change. Discussions are ongoing with the relevant authorities about enforcement action.